Antoni Gaud

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Antoni Gaudí
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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

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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.

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Ciutadella Park
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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.

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The Cathedral of Mallorca
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Bellesguard
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The Monastery of Montserrat
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La Sagrada FamiliaChurch of the Holy Family

• Barcelona
• Date1882 to 1926
• Church
• Masonry
• Urban
• Expressionist

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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.

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Park Guell

• Barcelona
• Date 1900 to 1914  
• Park, sculpture garden
• Earth, plantings, and masonry
• Urban
• Style Expressionist

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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

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Social and Political Influences

• Showcased Catalonias diverse art techniques.
• Promoted the Catalan nationalist movement by
  incorporating elements of Catalan culture in his
  designs

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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 Parsons
  Project to create the 1987 album Gaudi.