Barcelona gaudi architect. Barcelona - the cradle of the architectural genius Antoni Gaudí
Among the names of the genius creators of works of art of architecture, the name of Antoni Gaudi will live in the memory of the people of the century, while the buildings created according to his fantastic designs will stand. One can silently look at these architectural masterpieces for a long time before finding words that can express the whole gamut of feelings of admiration, delight, and aesthetic euphoria. The view of the amazing buildings is so unusually beautiful that it is hard to believe that it is possible to design and build such a thing in real life.
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In different parts of Barcelona, immensely beloved by Gaudí, he built miraculous buildings of the neo-Gothic style and immortalized his name. A self-guided tour of seven unique sites created by Gaudí's imagination and skill. The first of them - the Güell Palace is located at the address: st. Nou de la Rambla, 3-5. This is the first of the greatest projects of an extraordinary architect, commissioned by the wealthy entrepreneur Guell, who grew up in a poor area of Barcelona. In memory of his parents, he decided to build a palace. Having already heard about the young architect and his original solutions in architecture, Guell turned to Gaudí.
All floors of the palace are connected by a parabolic dome passing through them and a sumptuous neo-Gothic staircase. The interior design is not only beautiful, but very cleverly thought out: the heating system is combined with the ventilation system; maximum illumination is achieved with the help of additional figured windows in the roof dome. Symbols of royal power are present everywhere: 120 columns of Gerraf marble (King Pedro), an amazingly beautiful fresco depicting Hercules (Philip IV), wooden ceilings (Ferdinand's era).
The palace looks like a royal from the outside: two magnificent arches serving as an entrance are draped with an intricate pattern of forged lattices, among which one can distinguish the initials of the names of the owner and the architect. In the center of the openwork fence, on a high metal lantern, there is a coat of arms depicting an eagle sitting on a forged helmet and spreading its wings for flight (a symbol of Catalan independence).
House Calvet
If only the beginnings of elements of unusual symbolic architecture were embodied in the Palace of Guell, then in subsequent buildings they manifested themselves more clearly. An example of this is the Calvet House, located at Carrer de Casp, 48, built by a unique designer at the request of the widow of Barcelona's textile magnate Calvet in 1900. The building combines the features of a business office and a residential building (according to the customer's requirements), but all this is presented in such a way that this house cannot be called anything other than fabulous. Only the facade of the corner building can be viewed for hours, its details and general picture are so interesting. Each floor is separated by graceful curves with mushroom caps over the windows; entrance columns in the form of textile coils symbolize the family business; a stucco bust of the head of the Calvet dynasty in a niche under the roof is a tribute to him. The architect generously uses natural elements in the decor: an amazing bas-relief above the door of the main facade depicts a cypress - a symbol of hospitality, an olive tree and a cornucopia are present in the decoration.
Real works of art - balconies and balconies with a delicate tracery of graceful metal fences - cannot but arouse admiration. The peculiar "stands" in the form of curved trapezoids under the balconies are decorated in a floral version. The convex pattern of the side walls, decorative details of the original pediments complement the effect of the fabulous beauty of this amazing house. It takes more than one hour to examine all of its interiors.
Casa Batlló
If someone decided that there is nothing more to surprise him, then he is mistaken, because the next object of the excursion can strike on the spot (in a good way) seasoned travelers. Casa Batlló, located at 43 avenue Passeiq de Gracia, is a truly fantastic embodiment of the fabulous ideas of the brilliant architect who remodeled the old house of the manufacturer Batlló. The facade, full of symbolism, amazes with its unusual form of windows with mirrored blue glass, meandering interfloor boundaries, and kaleidoscopically variegated walls.
The roof in the form of a scaled dragon, gracefully bent in height against the background of the sky, and a turret in the shape of the cross of St. George, as if piercing a monster, symbolically complement the mythical unreality of architecture. Balconies with ornate white fences on graceful stucco bases resemble mysterious skulls; the dividing columns between the windows are bone-like in their construction. For these analogies, the locals called the unusual building the House of Bones. Gaudi's creative imagination in artistic stone images embodied the bizarre forms of flora and fauna, dearly loved by him since childhood. Casa Batlló is a symbol of a new, hitherto unknown architecture, which excludes the straightforwardness of structures, laid the foundation for the famous unique style of Gaudí.
Mila's house
This streamlined building is located at the intersection of Passeig de Gràcia and Carré de Provença. It is the full embodiment of curvature in architecture, where there is literally not a single perfectly straight line. As Gaudi himself said, in the appearance of the house, he conveyed the bends of waves, clouds, leaves and flowers. Irregularly shaped window openings, numerous columns of different thicknesses, a continuous winding strip of canopies above the windows embodied the author's intention. Here you can see the most unexpected forms of stone statues - the result of non-standard solutions of the artist, who even put chimneys in an intricate artistic shell. The elevator shafts installed in the house are decorated with delicate sculptures. Gaudí has done a huge design and creative work on the masterpiece, which is taken under the protection of UNESCO as a priceless monument.
Sagrada Familia
Another real masterpiece from the world of fantasy can be seen on Carrer de Provenca - the Temple, which seems to be carved out of solid rock by an unsurpassed skillful carver, and not built from separate stones. So organically fit into the general ensemble all the extraordinary components of the most important brainchild of Gaudi, to whom he devoted 40 years of his life, but did not manage to fully realize the whole idea. The construction of the unique shrine of the Sagrada Familia has been going on for 130 years.
It is impossible to describe in a few words the architectural style of this treasure, which reflected the talent of Gaudí, who sought to move away from sharp Gothic forms to more rounded, flowing, graceful ones. Despite the enormous size of the cathedral, it seems light and airy. Gaudí sought to create a "bible in stone", over which 17 symbolic towers will rise, personifying 12 apostles, 4 evangelists and Jesus. 3 facades are decorated in accordance with the main lines of the earthly life of Christ. You cannot tell about a stone miracle in one article, it needs to be studied for a long time in order to comprehend all the greatness and beauty of an unearthly structure.
Park Guell
The next address is st. Carrer lt Olot will open another miracle from Gaudí - a park of unique architectural creations, each of which is original and magnificent with the uniqueness of forms. The Hall of 100 Columns amazes the imagination with its monumentality and grandeur, painted stucco ceiling plafonds. A huge mosaic salamander sprawling on an impromptu pool, a coiled snake, an outlandish bench with a mosaic picturesque back - everything is so extraordinary and fantastically beautiful! All day long you can admire the creations of the great master, which are beyond time and space.
House Vicens
It can be safely called the main decoration of the rather gray factory district of Barcelona - Gracia at the address: Carrer de les Carolines, 18-24. Like a bright gem among nondescript brethren, Vicens' house illuminates the surroundings with colorful mosaic wall decoration. Even without knowing who Vicent is, one can guess about its production, because the decorative patterns of the facade are "woven from ceramic tiles." Vincent owned a brick factory and a finishing tile workshop. It was these traditional materials that Gaudi took advantage of and created his first architectural work of art as a graduate, equipping it (the house) with a wonderful garden with a fountain. Until our time, he (the garden) has not survived, but the house continues to delight with its colorful composition. It is allowed to get inside only on May 22, on the day of St. Rita, but it is already a great happiness to see Gaudí's masterpiece outside. All architectural creations of the Spanish genius are included in the list of world heritage and are taken under the protection of UNESCO.
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Casa Batlló stands out against the background of other sights of Barcelona for its original architectural solutions. Before Gaudí took over the job, this residential building, built in 1877, belonged to the textile magnate Josep Batlló y Casanovas. Then only tenants and potential tenants were interested in him, he did not represent any other interest for people. New life and great fame to the Casa Batlló was given by Antoni Gaudi, who reconstructed the building from 1904 to 1906. Initially, the owner planned to demolish the old building and erect a new one in its place, but the master decided otherwise and promised to transform the building beyond recognition.
With two side walls, the house adjoined neighboring buildings, so Gaudi decided not to adjust its original structure, but to create designs for two new facades. The central façade looks out onto Passeig de Gracia, while the back façade looks into the quarter. The architect has carefully worked on the mezzanine and ground floor, completely redesigning and specially creating original furniture for them. In addition, he added an attic, a basement and a stepped roof terrace - asotea.
The author introduced a large courtyard into the plan of the house, which was created as a result of the connection of two light shafts. This allowed for improved ventilation and daylighting of the building. The idea to pay special attention to the courtyard of light first came to a Catalan master during the construction of the House of Mila.
Researchers studying the work of Antoni Gaudí argue that it was with the reconstruction of Casa Batlló that a new round of his creative path began, and it was then that the formation of the master's unique style began: from now on, the architect listened exclusively to his own vision of architectural solutions, without looking at the standards and framework famous architectural styles.
On the ground floor of Casa Batlló, you can see semicircular windows striking in their unusual shape and stones spreading like plasticine from high temperature. The facade of the building is decorated with mosaic compositions of broken ceramic tiles, iridescent in a wide variety of colors: from gold and orange to green and blue.
The main distinguishing feature of the building, in which the architect's handwriting is most clearly expressed, is the minimal use of straight lines in its design. Almost everything in it, from the interior to the decorative details of the facade, carved from the hewn stone quarried on the Montjuïc hill, has a wavy shape.
The symbolism of the main façade of Casa Batlló has many interpretations, but the most accurate comparison is likely to be a comparison of the building with a giant figure of a dragon, a favorite character of Gaudí, often found in many of his architectural works. The turret on the roof of the building crowned with the cross of St. George can be interpreted as the sword of St. George, the patron saint of Catalonia, thrust into the back of the dragon. The Triumph of St. George is an allegory of the victory of good over evil. The fantastic monster created by Gaudí is covered with sparkling "scales" and is studded with the skulls and bones of his victims, which can be seen in the form of balconies and mezzanine columns. For such an unusual exterior decoration, this building was given another name - the House of Bones.
As for the direction to which Casa Batlló belongs, then most often, like all other creative research of Antoni Gaudi, it is considered in the context of modernism. Naturally, in this case, modernism should be understood in the broadest sense of this concept, since the great Catalan did not adhere to any of the then existing trends and in the creative process gave himself complete freedom, going beyond all frameworks and boundaries.
Gaudí's works are characterized by the careful thoughtfulness of all, even the smallest, decorations and structures, and Casa Batlló was no exception. Particularly striking is the design of the illuminated courtyard, where a special play of chiaroscuro was created. To ensure even lighting, the architect positioned the ceramic cladding in such a way that its color gradually fades from white to blue and blue, and the intensity increases as you move up the building, finishing in the finishing of ventilation and chimneys with a real explosion of rich azure color. For the same purpose, different-sized windows facing the courtyard were created, which decrease with height. The attic of the house, distinguished by its elegance and functionality, is organized using parabolic arches, which the Catalan architect used in his other projects.
Patio:
Together with the neighboring houses of Lleo Morera and Amalier, Gaudí's architectural creation is part of the "Quarter of Unconformity", which got its name from the variety of styles of his modernist buildings.
Since 1962, Casa Batlló has been named an Artistic Monument of Barcelona, since 1969 - a monument of national importance, and already in 2005 UNESCO added it to its World Heritage List.
Antoni Gaudi was born on June 25, 1852 in the small town of Reus, near Tarragona in Catalonia (Spain). Gaudi's childhood passed by the sea. He carried the impressions of the first architectural experiments throughout his life, so some of his houses resemble sand castles. Due to rheumatism, the boy could not play with children and was often left alone, spent a lot of time in communication with nature. The limited mobility due to illness sharpened the observation of the future architect, opened the world of nature to him, which became the main source of inspiration in solving both artistic design and constructive tasks. Antonio loved to watch the mountains, clouds, flowers, snails for a long time. Gaudi's mother instilled in the boy a love of religion. She instilled in him that since the Lord had left him with life, then Antonio must definitely find out why.
In the seventies of the XIX century, Gaudi moved to Barcelona, where, after five years of preparatory courses, he was admitted to the Higher School of Architecture, from which he graduated in 1878. It was an educational institution of a new type, in which the teachers did everything to prevent learning from becoming a routine. At the School, students were encouraged to participate in real projects, and practical experience is always very valuable for an architect. Antonio studied with pleasure and enthusiasm, sat in the library in the evenings, learned German and French, in order to be able to read literature according to his profile. Antonio was one of the best students, but he was never loved.
In 1870-1882, Antoni Gaudi worked under the supervision of architects Emilio Sala and Francisco Villar as a draftsman, unsuccessfully participating in competitions; studied crafts, doing many small jobs (fences, lanterns, etc.), also designed furniture for his own home.
Europe experienced an extraordinary flowering at that time neo-gothic style , and the young Gaudi enthusiastically followed the ideas of neo-Gothic enthusiasts - the French architect and writer Viollet le Duc (the greatest restorer of Gothic cathedrals in the 19th century, who restored Notre Dame Cathedral) and the English critic and art critic John Ruskin. The declaration they proclaimed "Decorativeness is the beginning of architecture" fully corresponded to Gaudi's own thoughts and ideas, whose creative style over the years becomes completely unique, architecture is as far from generally accepted as Lobachevsky's geometry is from classical Euclidean.
During the period of early creativity, marked by the influences of the architecture of Barcelona, as well as the Spanish architect Martorell, his first, richly decorated, early Art Nouveau projects were built: "stylistic twins" - elegant House Vicens (Barcelona) and the quirky El Capricho (Comillas, Cantabria):
In accordance with the owner's desire to see the "kingdom of ceramics" in his country residence, Gaudi covered the walls of the house with multicolored iridescent majolica tiles, decorated the ceilings with hanging stucco "stalactites", and filled the courtyard with fancy gazebos and lanterns. Garden buildings and a residential building made up a magnificent ensemble, in the forms of which the architect first tried out his favorite techniques:
● an abundance of ceramic finishes;
● plasticity, fluidity of forms;
● bold combinations of multi-style elements;
● contrasting combinations of light and dark, horizontals and verticals.
El Capricho (Comillas, Cantabria):
Outside, the building is faced with rows of bricks and ceramic tiles. The first floor is faced with wide rows of multi-colored bricks alternating with narrow strips of majolica tiles with embossed casts of sunflower inflorescences.
The same period includes a compromise pseudo-baroque House Calvet(Barcelona) - the only building recognized and loved by the townspeople during his lifetime:
Also during these years the following projects appear:
● School at the Monastery of St. Teresa (Barcelona) in a restrained Gothic, even "serf" style:
● Neo-Gothic Episcopal Palace in Astorga (Castilla, Leon):
● House Botines in neo-gothic style (Leon):
However, his meeting with Eusebi Guell ... Gaudí later became a friend of Guell. This textile magnate, the richest man in Catalonia, not alien to aesthetic insights, could afford to order any dream, and Gaudi got what every creator dreams of: freedom of expression without looking back at the estimate. Antonio designs the pavilions of the estate in Pedralbes near Barcelona for the Guell family; wine cellars in Garraf, chapels and crypts of Colonia Guell (Santa Coloma de Cervelló); fantastic Park Guell (Barcelona). In these works, Gaudi goes beyond the dominant historical styles within the eclecticism of the 19th century, declaring war on the straight line and forever moving into the world of curved surfaces to form his own, unmistakable, style.
Once Guell conceived the reconstruction of his summer country residence. For this purpose, he expands his holdings, acquiring several more plots. He gives the order for the reconstruction of the country house to Antoni Gaudi, entrusting him to remake the park, reform the country house, erect a fence with a gate, build new pavilions at the entrance to the estate, and the architect was instructed to build a stable with a covered arena. Now this complex is called Park Guell .
Like all subsequent works by Gaudí, these buildings are deeply symbolic, there are no accidental details here. The architect's concept was based on the myth of the magical garden of the Hesperides. This myth was reflected in the poem "Atlantis" by the Catalan author Jacint Verdaguer, who often visited the estate of Guella. The poem describes one of the exploits of Hercules, to whom the king of Mycenae, wishing to test the strength of Hercules, ordered to get golden apples from the garden, which was carefully guarded. The most interesting preserved part of the estate is the gate in the shape of a dragon. According to legend, the bloodthirsty dragon Ladon guarded the entrance to the garden, where a tree with golden apples that gave eternal youth and immortality grew.
Another Gaudi building for his patron and friend is the manufacturer's house in Barcelona, the so-called Guell Palace :
With the completion of the construction of the palace, Antoni Gaudi ceased to be an unnamed builder, quickly becoming the most fashionable architect in Barcelona, soon turned into "almost impermissible luxury."
At that time, Antonio Gaudi was still working as a draftsman in an architectural bureau with his former teacher at the Higher School of Architecture, Villar. This also played an interesting role in the later life of Gaudi. The point is that construction Temple of the Sagrada Família (Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família) in Barcelona has been going on for several years. And when the question arose about replacing the architect, Villar proposed Gaudí's candidacy. Oddly enough, the Church Council accepted it. Antonio founded his architectural bureau, recruited a staff of assistants and plunged headlong into the work ()
Customers who were ready to throw out half of the fortune for construction initially believed in the genius of the architect, who effortlessly pioneered a new path in architecture. For the bourgeois of Barcelona, he built one more unusual house than the other. One of these houses was the house Casa Mila - space that is born and develops, expanding and moving like living matter. The house is better known as La Pedrera, which translates as a quarry. The project was commissioned by the entrepreneur Pedro Mila y Camps. He needed a house, the apartments of which he could rent out. Gaudí designed the undulating facade. Iron structures were faced with cut stone, which was cut out nearby in the province of Barcelona:
The design began in 1906, and the architect checked all the lines with his usual meticulousness. He designed the space so that the neighbors felt as isolated as possible from each other, in addition, if the owner of the house wanted to turn it into a hotel, then no problems should have arisen either. Nevertheless, Pedro Mila expressed impatience and urged him on in every possible way. But obstacles arose at every step. So, the regulatory authorities were unhappy with the column, which stood out on the sidewalk for half a meter. They demanded to remove it. Gaudí fought for every detail of his project. He threatened that if he still had to remove the column, then at the place where it was supposed to be, he would write who exactly was responsible for her absence.
Then there were sizing problems. The height of the structure was four meters higher than the allowed. There was a demand to cut the attic. In case of failure to comply with the requirement, the owner was imposed a fine that corresponded to a fifth of the entire project. A commission was created, which recognized the building as a great value and thus all this disagreement with the law was resolved.
Mila's house took three years to build. While the work was going on, the rich Pere Mila became poor, because he had already paid 100 thousand pesetas for the architect's violation of all building codes. Therefore, closer to the end, he could not resist and said: "I will not pay." Gaudí replied: "Well, then finish building yourself." Then they dispersed, patting empty pockets, scolding each other and taking the case to court. But the next generations can now be inspired and enjoy the wonderful architectural monument.
A similar-minded project by Gaudí - Casa Batlló - a living, quivering creature, the fruit of a bizarre fantasy that has an unusual origin: a plot is developed in it - St. George kills a dragon. The first two floors resemble the bones and skeleton of a dragon, the texture of the wall is its skin, and the roof of the complex pattern is its ridge. Above the roof there is a tower in the form of a spear piercing the dragon's body. Casa Batlló is also known as the "House of Bones":
WITH defense of the Sagrada Familia - Sagrada Familia - became the most famous work of Antoni Gaudi, although he did not begin to build it and he did not finish it. But for the architect himself, this work became the culmination of his life and work. Attaching particular importance to this building as a monumental symbol of the national and social revival of Catalonia, Antogio Gaudí from 1910 focused entirely on it, placing his workshop here.
According to Gaudí's plan, the Sagrada Familia was to become a symbolic building, a grand allegory of the Nativity of Christ, represented by three facades. Eastern is dedicated to Christmas; western - to the Passion of Christ, southern, the most impressive, should become the facade of the Resurrection. The portals and towers of the Sagrada Familia are equipped with exuberant sculpture that reproduces the entire living world, the dizzying complexity of profiles and detailing surpasses anything Gothic has ever known. This is a kind of Gothic Art Nouveau, which, however, is based on the plan of a purely medieval cathedral.
Despite the fact that Gaudí built the Sagrada Familia for thirty-five years, he managed to erect and decorate only the Nativity facade, which is structurally the eastern part of the transept, and four towers above it. The western part of the apse, which makes up most of this magnificent building, is still under construction. More than seventy years after the death of Gaudi, the construction of the Sagrada Familia continues to this day. Gradually, spiers are being erected (during the life of the architect, only one was completed), facades with figures of apostles and evangelists, scenes of an ascetic life and the atoning death of the Savior are being formed. The construction of the Sagrada Familia is expected to be completed by 2030.
The model of the future Temple of the Sagrada Família (Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família) in Barcelona, made up of suspended sandbags, could be "read" only by modern computers! By connecting the dots-bags, the researchers obtained a spatial model of the cathedral. In addition, in order not to "cut" the room into pieces, Gaudi invented his own unsupported ceiling system, and only 100 years later a computer program appeared that could perform such operations. It was NASA's program for calculating space flight trajectories.
The architect spent his last years as an ascetic hermit, fully devoting all his strength and energy to the creation of the immortal Cathedral of the Holy Family - the Sagrada Familia, which became the highest embodiment of not only his unique talent, but also his earnest faith. He so carefully finished the ends of the towers of the temple that the angels were pleased to look at them.
At the end of lifeAntonio Gaudi fell seriously ill. I caught brucellosis or Maltese fever, which is difficult to diagnose today. Doctors believe that “brucellosis is characterized by mood swings that lead to suicidal depression. Interspersed with outbursts of anger and periods of distraction, this depressed mood is accompanied by physical exhaustion, excruciating headaches and painful arthritis. " There was no cure for this disease. Perhaps this can explain why Gaudi has changed so much for the worse. He walked around in saggy jackets, and his trousers dangled around his legs, which he wrapped in bandages from the cold ... And no underwear! However, he did not change his outerwear until it turned into rags. The great architect ate what was put into his hand on the go - a piece of bread, for example. If they didn’t put in anything, they didn’t eat anything. When he hadn't eaten anything for a very long time, he would go to bed and start dying. But one of the students came, changed his clothes, fed him ...
On June 7, 1926, 73-year-old Gaudi was hit by a tram and lost consciousness. The cabbies refused to take an unkempt, unknown old man without money and documents to the hospital, fearing non-payment for the trip. Soon from his injuries, Gaudi died.
Watch a video presentation of the most famous works of Gaudí:
The unique architectural appearance of the capital of Catalonia was magically influenced by the work of the great master Gaudí. Architect Antoni Gaudi i Cornet (Antoni Gaudi i Cornet) was born on June 25, 1852 in the city of Reus, Catalan province of Tarragona. His parents were boiler workers, and the young genius often helped his father and grandfather, admiring the virtuoso work of their hands in the manufacture of copper items. In love with nature and observant Antonio, from childhood, he was attracted by the perfection of forms, the play of colors and lines. Love for everything natural found a way out in the work of Gaudi - the favorite materials of the master were stone, ceramics, wood and wrought iron.
There are 18 buildings in the architectural heritage of Gaudí, most of them are located in Barcelona, defining the entire appearance of the city. He was in love with this city, spoke Catalan and drew inexhaustible inspiration for creativity from the culture of his people. Among the most famous works of Antoni Gaudí in Barcelona are Vicens House, Terezianoc School, Bellesguard House, Guell Palace, Casa Batlló, La Pedrera House, Park Guell and, of course, the Sagrada Familia.
The mysterious symbol of the city - the Sagrada Familia
The temple is the "trademark" of Barcelona, the recognized symbol of the city. Its majestic towers make a truly unforgettable impression, the building itself is full of secrets and coded messages from Gaudí. But, perhaps, the main mystery of this masterpiece, which was conceived as a temple of atonement for sins, is its incompleteness.
The building was designed in the Gothic style, traces of it can be traced in the crypt and apse, but then the genius of improvisation changed the idea, experimenting with styles and creating his own unique architectural style. When creating the temple, Gaudi almost did not use drawings, he made sketches with his own hands, and therefore it took a lot of time to work. The architect worked on the Sagrada Familia temple for forty-three years without completing the construction. In 1926, he was killed when hit by a tram at the intersection of Gran Via and Bailen.
In 1936, Gaudi's workshops were burned down, and only 20 years later, work on the construction of the temple resumed, already in small pieces of photographs and sketches and, of course, without that magical improvisation that was inherent only to Gaudi. The construction of the cathedral continues to this day, steadily overcoming financial and other difficulties. The Sagrada Familia, located in the heart of the city at 401 Mallorca Street, attracts thousands of tourists every year who, admiring the grandeur of Gaudí's project, try to unravel its mystery ...
Casa Batllo in Barcelona
Casa Batlló ("Battle", Batllo » ) - one of the many masterpieces of Antoni Gaudi, an elegant example of the Art Nouveau style, so widespread in Catalonia at the beginning of the 20th century. Casa Batlló was built in 1904-1906 at 43 Paseo de Gracia. Gaudí reconstructed the house, applying his own corporate style: multicolored and sparkling mosaics, curved lines, expressive forms, quaint balconies, a fantastic roof with tiles in the form of fish scales.
The local name of the house is Casa dels ossos (House of Bones). It really recognizes the images of bones and internal organs of some giant mysterious animal. The roof of the house is covered with arches, which creates associations with the back of a dragon. According to the generally accepted opinion, the rounded detail to the left of the center, ending with a turret with a cross, represents the sword of St. George the Victorious (St. George is the patron saint of Catalonia), thrust into the back of the dragon.
House Mila (Casa Mila, La Pedrera)
Casa Mila in Barcelona is one of the best examples of the architectural concept of Antoni Gaudí. To some, its facade resembles oncoming waves, and to others - a stone mountain with caves. The people of Barcelona jokingly call it La Pedrera (Quarry).
Gaudí drew inspiration from nature as he always did on the corner of the busy Paseo de Gracia and Rue Provença. The concept of modernity here is something alive, fluid, moving, you can distinguish between caves, the sea, the underwater world. The view from the rooftop to Barcelona is just as amazing, there are no railings, and the gardens and mysterious figures seem to hang over the abyss.
In 1984, the Mila house was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and today the last floor houses a museum dedicated to Antoni Gaudi, the rest of the floors are given over to luxury housing.
Park Guell
Another famous Gaudí project is Park Guell, located behind Lesseps Square, on Olot Street. The park was built from 1900 to 1914, but, unfortunately, like the Sagrada Familia, it was not finished.
The park, a joint project of Gaudi and the entrepreneur Güell, was a very promising idea: on the slope of one of the hills of the Barcelona plain, it was planned to build a green town for the rest of wealthy citizens. However, an economic crisis broke out, and construction had to be frozen. Gaudí was able to only partially make his dreams come true - one wall of the proposed park was built.
At the entrance to the park, you are greeted by two cozy "gingerbread" houses, made after the example of fortress towers, separated by spectacular iron gates (in one of these houses, Gaudi himself later settled). A staircase, decorated with sculptures of phantasmagoric animals covered with mosaics, leads upstairs, among them is the characteristic Gaudi lizard, a symbol of good luck and prosperity, found in almost every work of the master. The staircase leads to the spacious Hall of a Hundred Columns, the highlight of which is that the roof is at the same time a winding balcony, and the cornice of the colonnade is the back of a continuous bench that borders the entire upper square. One of the best views of the city opens up from here.
Park Guell is considered one of the works of Gaudí, where his imagination was most manifested. The house where the architect lived in 1906-1926 is now a museum named after him.
House Vicens
One of the first works of Antoni Gaudí is Vicens' house, which is located at 18-24 Carolinas Street. In 1878, a young entrepreneur, Manuel Vicens, commissioned the construction of his house at that time to the novice architect Antoni Gaudí. For reasons beyond his control, the construction was postponed for 5 years, and this was a salvation for the young Gaudi, who simply did not know how to design a house: the construction site was rather narrow, and it was necessary to build in a row of almost “ground-in” friend to friend buildings.
As a result, Gaudí's imagination could not fully roam, the house was built very simply, without frills and curved lines. To enliven the image, the architect decided to decorate the facade of the building using numerous bay windows and tiled decor. The base of the walls in natural stone has been complemented by a rough brick finish. However, the main attraction of the house was given by the colorful tiled decoration of walls and windows and an insane mixture of styles: Gaudí used techniques of different traditions, combining the incompatible, sculpting yellow flowers from tiles, installing Moorish turrets on the roof and decorating the garden with an art nouveau wrought-iron fence. The result is a fine example of modernism and a testament to the eternal genius of Antoni Gaudí.
If you are heading to Barcelona, be sure to visit these sights, priceless heritage of Antoni Gaudí. Contact bytelephones Center of services for business and life in Spain "Spain in Russian" , and we will help you organize interesting individual or group excursions tounforgettable creations of Antoni Gaudi.
Many tourists travel to Barcelona to admire the architectural masterpieces of Antoni Gaudí. But you don't have to fly to the Catalan capital. All his legacy ...
The personality of Antonio Gaudi is enigmatic and mysterious. The second person who, in my opinion, has a similar aura is not even a real person, but a character in Francis Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby. And with what ease the hero of the novel enchanted his audience with his evenings, with the same ease Gaudí's work captures our hearts, souls and memory.
What is his genius?
Perhaps the answer lies on the surface. He is around us. Gaudí deified nature and drew inspiration from it. He was the first to decide to transfer the laws of nature to architecture.
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Its church spiers are crowned with sheaves of cereals and ears of corn, the arches of the windows are crowned with baskets of fruits, and bunches of grapes hang from the facades; drainpipes wriggle in the form of snakes and reptiles; the chimneys are twisted by snails, and the intake grilles are forged in the form of palm leaves.
All ingenious is simple!
During his life, Antoni Gaudi created more than 20 architectural masterpieces, 10 of which are located directly in Barcelona.
I invite you to take a fascinating walk through the streets of Barcelona and get acquainted with the masterpieces of Gaudi architecture, which have no analogues to this day.
And you can stay in Barcelona at these hotels:
1. House Vicens
House Vicens was Gaudí's first significant work. It was built between 1883 and 1888 by order of the owner of the ceramic tile factory, Manuel Vicens Muntaner.
Examining the site of the future construction for the first time, Gaudi discovered a giant flowering palm tree surrounded by a carpet of yellow flowers - marigolds. All these motifs were later incorporated into the design of the house by Gaudí: palm leaves found their place on the fence grate, and marigolds became a pattern on ceramic tiles.
Gaudí developed the design of the entire building, from the meticulous finishing of the exterior, to the decorative solutions of the interior, to the painting of the walls and stained glass windows.
As the house is privately owned, it is closed to the public. However, one day of the year, May 22, the owners of the house open its doors to guests.
2. Pavilions of the Güell estate (Pavellons Güell)
It was on this project that two great people met, who for many years to come have defined the image of Barcelona: the architect Antoni Gaudi and Count Eusebi Guell. By order of Guell, Antonio had to reconstruct the summer country residence of the patron: redesign the park and erect a gate with a fence, build new pavilions and design stables with an indoor arena. And in order to show the unified concept of the entire project, the architect completed all the buildings in the same style, using the same building material and a pattern that resembles the scales of a dragon.
It was during the construction of the Guell pavilions that Gaudí first used the trencadis technique - covering the surface with pieces of ceramic or glass of irregular shape. Later we will come across this technology in the design of benches in Park Guell and in many other works of the architect.
Unfortunately, to date, only the entrance group with a gate decorated with a dragon has survived from the building. As conceived by Gaudí, the dragon guarded the garden with golden apples, bestowing eternal youth and immortality.
When the gate was opened, the dragon's head and legs moved, frightening and surprising guests and passers-by. Today you can approach the Dragon without fear - he will remain motionless and freely let you into the territory of the estate.
3. Palau Güell
The next large-scale project created by Antoni Gaudí for Guell is a residential building, or rather, a palace. This magnificent Venetian "palazzo" is squeezed into a small space of 22 by 18 meters.
It is impossible to fully assess the appearance of the entire Palace of Guell from any point, because Carrer Nou de la Rambla street is very densely built up. To surprise viewers at a great distance from the building, Gaudi designed unusual chimney towers.
Gaudí believed that a single architectural element could not be a worthy roof decoration. Therefore, the roof of the castle is designed according to the "scenographic" principle. Each chimney is designed as a whimsical turret, transforming the roof into a magical garden. Gaudi uses this favorite technique in many of his future projects.
At the entrance, between the two forged gates of the palace, Gaudi placed the coat of arms of Catalonia, and engraved the initials of Eusebi Guell - "E" and "G" on the gate itself.
4. College of the Order of St. Teresa (Collegi de las Teresianes)
"Collegi de las Teresianes" - the school at the monastery of St. Teresa - also became one of the architectural masterpieces of Antoni Gaudi. The college building was built between 1888 and 1890 by order of Enric d'Usso, the priest who founded the Theresian Order.
Initially, the development of the plan was entrusted to the architect Juan B. Pons. He worked on the project for a whole year, and even managed to erect the building up to the second floor when the construction was entrusted to Gaudi. The young brilliant architect managed to make significant changes to the initial project and complete the construction in less than a year.
For Gaudi, this was an unusual project. Firstly, he had to work on a limited budget, so ordinary brick and imitation stone were used in the construction. And secondly, his fantasy was put into a “framework”. All his architectural and decorative ideas Antonio first agreed with the priest, and only after that he could bring them to life. Not surprisingly, most of what was planned was rejected.
The architect nevertheless decorated the school as much as possible. To do this, he used numerous neat arches and decorative elements on the battlements of the building, which look like a professor's cap.
5. Casa Calvet
Another masterpiece of the architect Antoni Gaudi in Barcelona at first glance seems ordinary and unremarkable, but it is worth taking a closer look ...
Gaudí's Calvet House was commissioned by the widow of the late industrialist Pere Calvet, in accordance with all the criteria of a "profitable" house. There were shops on the first floor, the owner herself lived on the second floor, and the remaining levels were given to tenants.
It’s a paradox, but the most “ordinary” creation of Antoni Gaudí immediately after its construction, in 1900, was recognized as the best building in Barcelona. For many, this came as a surprise, since by this time Antonio had completed several projects that looked more refined and sophisticated. However, to the authorities of the capital of Catalonia, it was this creation that seemed the most worthy.
In the design of the facade, Gaudi thought over every little detail. So, the shape of the door peephole was suggested to the architect by honeycombs. When creating it, the genius several times immersed his fingers in a clay mass, and then filled the resulting shape with metal.
And the knockers on the front doors hit the bug image. Perhaps, according to the ancient Catalan custom, killing this insect brought good luck and prosperity to the house. Or maybe Antonio Gaudi simply did not like pests.
Today the Kalvet house is still used for its intended purpose: the basement is reserved for warehouses, the first floor is occupied by an office, and the remaining floors are occupied by residential apartments.
6. House Figueras on street Bellesguard, Barcelona (Casa Figueras)
At the beginning of the 15th century, King Marty Humane built a magnificent palace on the slope of Mount Tibidabo, which he called Bellesguard - translated from Catalan as "beautiful view". Five centuries later, in 1900, a completely different, more modest palace in the neo-Gothic style, by the hand of the architect Antoni Gaudi, arose on the same place. Subsequently, he received the name Dom Figueres.
The house turned out in a rather quirky style. The structure seems to be directed upward, although the structure itself is far from high. Gaudi achieved a similar effect by using a sharp spire in the design, as well as deliberately overstating each part of the house. The basement is 3 meters high, the ground floor is 5 meters, and the mezzanine is 6 meters. The total height of the house reaches 33 meters and it looks fully completed in the vertical direction.
During the construction work, Gaudi shifted the medieval road a little and put it on vaults with inclined columns. He also uses this technique in Park Guell.
Until 2013, the Figueres house was closed to the public, but since the owners needed funds for reconstruction, they decided to open it to tourists.
Slowly, we are getting closer to the fun part. These are the famous and popular sights of Barcelona, the hands of Antoni Gaudí, and the first of them is Park Guell.
7. Park Guell. Garden City (Parc Güell)
Probably, each of us at least once saw Gaudi's gingerbread houses - one of the symbols of the capital of Catalonia, which is found on postcards, magnets and other souvenirs. We can find them at the entrance to Park Guell, or sometimes it is called "Park Gaudí".
Once upon a time, this popular park in Barcelona began its development as a commercial project. After a trip to England, Guell was impressed by the parklands and got the idea to create something similar in Barcelona. To do this, he purchased a large plot on a hill and asked Antoni Gaudi to take over the project. According to Guell's idea, the park was to become a residential community for the Catalan elite. But the residents of the city did not support his efforts. As a result, only 3 exhibition specimens were built from residential buildings, in which the authors of the project themselves, Guell and Gaudi, as well as their friend, a lawyer, settled. Later, the Barcelona City Council bought the property from the heirs of the patron and transformed it into a city park, and opened a municipal school and a museum in two houses. The lawyer's house still belongs to his family.
The architect did his job perfectly. He designed all the necessary communication systems, planned streets and squares, built viaducts, ramparts, entrance pavilions and a staircase that leads to the "100 Columns" hall. On the roof of the hall, there is a large square surrounded by a bright curved bench around the perimeter.
8. Casa Batlló
"House of bones", "house-dragon", "yawning house" - all these are the names by which the Casa Batlló in Barcelona is known.
This landmark is located in the very center of Barcelona, and if you want to, you will not be able to pass by without noticing it. A humpbacked roof that looks like a dragon's ridge, a mosaic facade that changes color depending on the lighting, balconies that resemble the faces of big-eyed flies or skulls - all this makes an indelible impression.
Antoni Gaudi received an order for the reconstruction of the house from a textile magnate who planned to completely demolish the old building. Retaining the original structure of the house, the architect designed two new facades. The main one faces the Passeig de Gracia avenue, the back one - into the quarter.
To improve the lighting and ventilation of the building, Gaudí combined the light shafts into a single courtyard. Here the architect created a special play of chiaroscuro: to achieve uniform illumination, Gaudí gradually changes the color of the ceramic cladding from white to blue and blue.
Part of the façade is covered with a mosaic of broken ceramic tiles, which starts in golden hues, continues in orange and ends in blue-green.
9. House Milà - Pedrera (Casa Milà)
Casa Mila is Antoni Gaudí's latest social project. After its construction, the architect devoted himself entirely to the main masterpiece of his life - the Sagrada Familia Cathedral.
Initially, the Barcelonaans did not accept Gaudí's new creation. For its uneven and ponderous appearance, the house Mila received the nickname "Pedrera", which means "quarry". The builders and owners of the house were even fined several times for non-compliance with generally accepted norms. But soon the passions subsided, they quickly got used to the house and began to treat it as another creation of a genius.
During the construction of Pedrera, Antoni Gaudi used technologies that were long ahead of their time. Instead of the classic support and load-bearing walls, it used an irregularly shaped steel frame, reinforced with arches and columns. Thanks to this, it was possible to give the facade of the house an unusual floating shape, and the layouts of the apartments at the request of the owner of the house could be changed at any time. This technology is very popular among modern builders who use it in the construction of monolithic frame houses. But more than a century has passed!
But the architect's talent was fully revealed on the roof of Mila's house. Here Gaudi created a special, fairy-tale world, decorating chimneys and elevator shafts with unusual sculptures.
Despite its cultural value, the Mila house is still a residential one today. Only an exhibition hall with works by Antoni Gaudi, an apartment reflecting the life of that time, and the roof of the building are open for inspection.
10. Cathedral of the Sagrada Familia (Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família)
The Sagrada Familia is the main masterpiece of Antoni Gaudi, the project of his entire life, to which he dedicated 43 years. The construction of the cathedral began in 1882 under the direction of the architect Francesco del Viyar. But a year later, a young Gaudi was appointed to his place. According to his idea, the height of the cathedral should be lower than the highest mountain in Barcelona by only one meter - 170 meters. By this the architect wanted to show that what was created by human hands cannot be higher than what God created.
The expiatory temple of the Sagrada Familia, like many other creations of Gaudí, is sustained in the spirit of the philosophy of unity with nature. The building should be crowned with 18 towers - this is a symbol of the apostles, evangelists and Jesus Christ.
The facades of the cathedral are already decorated with sculptures depicting not only biblical characters, but also animals, grapes and various symbols reflecting facts from the lives of saints.
It is noteworthy that the figures of animals were created by Gaudi himself. He immersed his "models" in a dream and created their precise sculptures.
The interior of the cathedral is also thought out to the smallest detail. Gaudi assumed that from the inside the cathedral would resemble a forest, with stars visible through the branches of the trees. As a reflection of this idea, multifaceted columns appeared in the cathedral, supporting the high vaults of the temple.
Closer to the vaults, the columns change their shape and branch out like trees. The stars in this ambitious project are window openings located at different heights.
The death of Antonio Gaudi was as extraordinary as his whole life, as well as his work. On June 7, 1926, at the age of 73, he was hit by a tram. The architect lost consciousness, but the cabbies were in no hurry to take him to the hospital: he had neither money nor documents, and he looked extremely untidy. He ended up in a beggar's hospital.
Gaudí died on June 10, 1926 and was buried in his favorite place - in the Atonement Church of the Sagrada Familia.
