Antoni Gaudí

Early Years

• Rheumatoid arthritis contributed to a solitary nature

• Early love of nature• Attended the Collegi de les Escoles

Píes de Reus• Architecture student at the Escola

Tècnica Superior d'Arquitectura

Interests• Fascination of nature. He studied

nature's angles and curves and incorporated them into his designs.

• Most of his designs resemble elements from the environment.

• Long walks, besides suppressing his rheumatism, allowed him to experience nature.

Ciutadella Park

Later Years• Gaudí was an ardent Catholic and a fervent Catalan

nationalist.• In his later years, he abandoned secular work and

devoted his life to Catholicism.• In the early twentieth century, Gaudí's closest family

and friends began to die; his works slowed to a halt; and his attitude changed. The construction of La Sagrada Família slowed; the construction of La Colonia Güell ceased altogether.

• He became reluctant to talk with reporters and solely concentrated on his masterpiece, La Sagrada Familia.

• In 1926, Antoni Gaudí was run over by a tram. • He was buried in the midst of his unfinished

masterpiece, La Sagrada Família.

The Cathedral of Mallorca

Bellesguard

The Monastery of Montserrat

La Sagrada Familia“Church of the Holy Family”

• Barcelona• Date:1882 to 1926 • Church• Masonry• Urban• Expressionist

Artistic Style• Gaudí's first works were designed in the style of gothic

and traditional Catalan architectural modes, but he soon developed his own distinct sculptural style.

• Eugene Viollet-le-Duc proved a major influence on Gaudí.

• He integrated the parabolic arch, nature's organic shapes, and the fluidity of water into his architecture.

• He observed the forces of gravity and related catenary principles.

• Using the Catalan trencadis technique, Gaudí often decorated surfaces with broken tiles.

• Art Nouveau architecture, a precursor to modern architecture.

Park Guell

• Barcelona• Date: 1900 to 1914

  • Park, sculpture

garden• Earth, plantings,

and masonry• Urban• Style: Expressionist

Popularity• First ridiculed by his

peers. • Supported by rich

industrialist Eusebi Guell.

• His fellow citizens referred to the Casa Milà as La Pedrera ("the quarry")

• George Orwell, who stayed at Barcelona during the Spanish Civil War, hated his work.

• As time passed, his work became more famous

Social and Political Influences

• Showcased Catalonia’s diverse art techniques.

• Promoted the Catalan nationalist movement by incorporating elements of Catalan culture in his designs

Influence

• Rumored that Gaudí's abandoned plans for a NY skyscraper influenced the redesign of the World Trade Center after Sept. 11, 2001

• In 1992, five artists founded La Asociación por Beatificación de Antonio Gaudí. The secular association has since pushed for the Catholic Church to declare Gaudi blessed.

• Gaudí's life and work inspired The Alan Parson’s Project to create the 1987 album Gaudi.