1. Antoni Gaudí i Cornet (25 June 1852 – 10
June 1926) was a Spanish architect. He was
born in Reus, in Catalonia, Spain and
became a leader of Catalan modernism. Gaudí's
works are in his own distinctive style. Most are
in the Catalan capital of Barcelona. His work
had an organic style inspired by nature. Gaudí
died on 10 June 1926 in Barcelona,
Catalonia, Spain after being hit by a
ANTONI GAUDÍ
4. SAGRADA FAMÍLIA:
The Sagrada Família (full name Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família) is a
large Roman Catholic church in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was designed by
Antoni Gaudí.
Originally, it was the architect Francisco de Paula del Villar who starts the project
in a classic Gothic style. But eventually, the work was giving to Antoni Gaudí in
1883, aged just 31 years old. Gaudí completely changed the original project and
began building his most famous work, which marked his style, made him
known worldwide, and allowed him to be known as the Master of Modern
Architecture.
Gaudí worked on it until he died. At the time of his death in 1926, less than a
quarter of the building was finished. The work is directly financed by donations
5. The Nativity Facade
The Nativity facade symbolizes, as its name suggests, the birth of Jesus. Built
between 1894 and 1930, it is the only facade to be built almost to completion while
Gaudí was alive. Gaudí saw the facade as a representation of nativity, a symbol of life
and creation. That is why he introduced its exuberant ornamentation, including animals
and tools mixed with symbols, such as the Tree of Life.
Facing the east, the facade has three entries that represent the theological
virtues: Hope to the left, Faith to the right and Charity at the centre, along with
the Door of Jesus and the Tree of Life. The facade culminates with four bell towers
dedicated to St. Matthew, St. Jude, St. Simon and St. Barnabas.
6. The Passion Facade
Work on the Passion Facade began in 1954 and it was completed in
1976, its construction guided by drawings made by Gaudí. Decorative work
was carried out after its initial completion.
As its name suggests, this facade is dedicated to the Passion of Christ,
which explains its simplicity, unadorned and with bare stone.
7. The Facade of Glory
The Facade of Glory will be the largest and most important of the facades,
because it is the one that will give access to the basilica's central nave. Work on
this facade began in 2002 and it is therefore not very far along.
This facade is dedicated to the celestial glory of Jesus and represents his rise to
heaven. Knowing that he would not see the beginning of this facade in his lifetime,
Gaudí drew only a few sketches showing his general ideas and plans: representations
of Death, Final Judgment, and Glory.
8. Although the outside of the Sagrada Familia
is a work of art, we must not forget to
mention its interior. For those who have the
opportunity to visit it, the interior is
surprising due to its magnitude, light and
decor.
The interior of the Sagrada Familia is also
strongly marked by Gaudí's personal style
and inspired by nature. To avoid the use of
Gothic buttresses, he created columns shaped
like tree trunks, giving the feeling of being in
a forest rather than inside a church.
9. PARC GÜELL
Barcelona's Park Güell is a public park filled with gardens
and unique architectural features. It is in the upper part
of Barcelona, on Carmelo Hill, which is part of the Serra
de Collserola mountain range. With urbanization in mind,
Eusebi Güell gave the design of the park to
architect Antoni Gaudí. He designed the park in the
Catalonian modernism style. The park was built between
1900 and 1914. It opened as a public park in 1926.
Park Güell's story begins in 1899 when Eusebi Güell
bought two plots of land from Montaña Pelada, known
today as Monte Carmelo. His idea was to have Gaudí
convert the land into a garden city, inspired by English
gardens.
It was thought that it would be possible to develop the
area into a high-class residential neighbourhood with
magnificent views overlooking Barcelona, but the high
pricing and location a little outside of the city centre
made it that only two plots of land were sold at the
10. CASA BATLLÓ
Casa Batlló was originally built in 1875, but it did not
resemble the building we know today. In 1903 it was re-
bought by a rich Barcelona businessman named Josep
Batlló i Casanovas. The new owner's first plan was to destroy
the building and use the land to build a new home for him,
his wife and their five children. In the end, Josep Batlló
decided to renovate the building rather than destroy it,
using the main part for him and his family, and
having the rest of the building divided into several
small apartments for rent.
For the renovation, he decided to hire architect Antoni Gaudí.
His choice was not at all by chance - Gaudí was already well
known as he was at the head of several Barcelona
projects.
11. The facade
The facade, whose fantastical style clearly shows the
imagination of its architect, is made from a combination of
stone and coloured glass, with undulating shapes reminiscent
of nature.
On the facade, the huge windows that highlight the second
floor will likely catch your eye first. Behind these windows
is the main section of the house where the Batlló family
once lived.
Another characteristic of the facade is its decorative glass
and bright-ceramic, which give different visual effects
depending on the light of day.
We shouldn't forget to talk about balconies either. These
are a big part of what give the building its unique character
and originality. They are made of cast iron and painted
ivory. In total, the facade has nine balconies, in addition to
four smaller balconies that are paired with the large main
windows.
The upper part of the facade appears to be shaped like an
12. LA PEDRERA, CASA MILÀ
Casa Mila (1906-1912) is a building designed by the architect Antoni Gaudi and commissioned
by Pere Milà and Roser Segimon. In 1905, Pere Milà and Roser Segimon married. Attracted
by the fame of Passeig de Gràcia, they purchased a detached house with garden situated
on a plot measuring 1,835 square metres. The main floor of this new building, Casa Mila,
was to be their home and they would rent out the other apartments.
The curved facade is a unique example of organic architecture. It stands in contrast to
Casa Batllò, with its colourful and playful facade. Gaudí deliberately focused on the design
of the building, used very little paint and left the materials natural.