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Shelley Wapniak Barcelona 2006 How did Antoni Gaudi use sequence, harmony, and symbolism to connect the Greek Theater with the other elements and spaces of Park Güell? Shelley Wapniak LSA 461, Barcelona 2007 Table of Contents Off-Campus Junior Thesis:………………………………………………………1-39 Introduction/ Study Question/ Study Site:………………………1 History of Anton Gaudi:…………………………………………………….2-6 Users of the Space:……………………………………………………………7-15 Circulation:…………………………………………………………………………15-17 Materials:……………………………………………………………………………17-20 Message Behind the Space:………………………………………………21-25 The Plaza as Seen in the Landscape…………………………………26 The Inspiration Behind the Art………………………………………….27-35 Park Güell’s Influence on the Neighborhood…………………….36-37 Conclusion:…………………………………………………………………………38 Bibliography……………………………………………………………………….39 Context Map………………………………………………………………........Appendix A-D Boundaries Map………………………………………………………………….Appendix E Circulation Map…………………………………………………………………..Appendix F Locus Map…………………………………………………………………………..Appendix G Drawings…………………………………………………………………………….Appendix H-M Cross Section……………………………………………………………………..Appendix N Journal Entries……………………………………………………………………Appendix O-Q Project Notebook……………………………………………………………….Appendix R-T Detail in the Landscape Field Study…………………………………Appendix U-W Beachscape Field Study……………………………………………………Appendix X-X Shelley Wapniak Barcelona 2006 Page 1 Introduction to the Greek Theater Study Question: How did Antoni Gaudi use sequence, harmony, and symbolism to connect the Greek Theater with the other elements and spaces of Park Güell? Name of Park: Park Güell Name of Piece: Greek Theater Atrist(s) and Designer(s): Anthoni Gaudi, and assistant Josep Maria Jujol Date of construction and installment: 1900-1914 Maintained: UNESCO World Heritage Site How a work of art is placed effects the way it is interpreted. A curator of a museum or art gallery carefully chooses which work to place next to another to create a sequence that will further enhance the message behind each work. There is no one right way to place art. In a gallery setting work can be grouped according to medium, era, tech- nique and/or style. Often an artist will even specify the exact sequence in which the pieces should be arranged in order to convey his own personal message behind the body of work. Often pieces that are arranged in juxtaposi- tion will play off of one another. These concepts are not lost when crossing over into the realm of Public Art. In a gallery setting, it is common to find works of art placed within very close proximity to one another. While in a public setting, one is more likely to find the art work spread out, each piece “owning” its own individual space. Outdoor settings often offer more space than a gallery setting, and they serve a different function than museums and galler- ies, whose sole existence is based on the display of the artwork. In many parks the artwork is secondary to the outdoor space itself. But in some parks the art work is so powerful and well laid out that it can become the focus of the space. In Park Güell the natural landscape has become second to the sculptural elements in the park. The entire park covers a total of fifteen hectares, and the sculptural structures are spread throughout the property. The artwork in this park is different than any other. It consists of stone columns and viaducts, architectural structures and heavily detailed fountains and benches. Sequence and perception play a different role in a public setting than it does in a private gallery. In a gallery the sequence is based on the juxtaposition of the art work, how the rooms are laid out, and the separation of the different artists displayed within the same gallery. Sequence within a public setting such as a public park relates more to the rhythm, harmony and balance of the park, which all amounts to the sequence which one is exposed to when traveling through the park. The sequence correlates to how the person is lead or directed to the piece of art as well as to whether or not the piece of art is linked to anything else within the park. Gaudi designed Park Güell as he would a building, setting up spaces for specific functions as if they were rooms in a building. He chose a limited pallet of building and ornamental materials, to create consistency through out the entire park. Each space has its own entity and function. The treatment that Gaudi applied to the materials that he used in the space are different throughout the park. He took natural stones from the earth and used them to build nearly all of the structures in the park. However, to give each space its own character and unique quality he treated the stone differently throughout the park. Gaudi used different techniques when laying the stones, and was versatile in the ways that he treated the surface of the stones. Gaudi rarely used paints or finishes on the natural materials, but was deliberate in how he had the stones laid or mortared together so that the stone took on the qualities of other natural materials. Gaudi made the stone look like tree bark, elephant’s skin and gingerbread. By managing to draw out such versatility from simple, consistent materials, Gaudi was able to apply fluidity throughout the park. Each space holds its own entity, but can be viewed as part of a whole. Gaudi draws connec- tions through the park with the use of materials, symbolism, design details and placement. All of this applies to the Greek Theater that sits on top of the Greek Temple/Market. Gaudi relates the Greek theater to the other areas of the park by using all of the materials, placement, physical attachment and symbolism. All of the materials found in the Greek Theater are used again in other locations in the park, and sometimes in the same manner. Each feature of the park is repeated in some form somewhere else in the park, and if one were to look at the visual, physical, and symbolic relationships of every feature in the park they could see that the entire space is tied together acting as a functional, fluid space. Through that way, the Greek temple is tied to all of the elements in the park. If the Theater isn’t resting directly on a structure, or doubling as its ceiling, it is providing water to spew forth from its fountains’ mouths, or relating to the same characters and the symbolism between them. The Plaza (which is also the Greek Theater) has also acquired a connection with places based on line of sight and where they can be seen from other areas within the space. The Greek Theater’s own existence in the park is comprised of the different elements that make up the space. The experience begins as a person walks up the steps from the Greek . Shelley Wapniak Barcelona 2006 Page 2 History of Antoni Gaudi and Park Güell Temple/ Market and catches a view of the side of the bench at eyelevel. The Serpentine bench is the . most powerful body in the space, rich in color and symbolism; it dominates the plaza. The Plaza itself is a large wide-open space covered in aggregate. The space can be used to hold large gatherings of people. Along the far end of the plaza is a stone retaining wall with steps on either side that leads up to a second level of the plaza. This level behaves as a form of seating overlooking the stage of the theater. It is used for an outdoor restaurant and is framed by a row of palm trees on either side. The first row is made of living palm trees while the second row is stone palm tree-like columns. These columns lean against another retaining wall holding it up. The tops of the columns come out like balco- nies or Greek Theater boxes, and overlook the plaza Antoni Gaudi was born under the sign of Cancer on June 25, 1852. Gaudi has and may always be the subject of controversy from the time of his birth, through the course of his career, his death and decades to follow. Gaudi was born in Reus, a regional town which is found in the Baix Camp (lower planes) west of Tarragona. His mother’s pregnancy with him was difficult, and his birth was traumatic to the extent that his father baptized him within the first hour of his life in order to save his soul. (1, Hensbergen) This action speaks to the religious upbringing that Gaudi had growing up which later came out in his work. Gaudi was a very sick child. After a severe lung infection he developed rheumatoid arthritis. (4, Hens- bergen) Instead of being defeated by his diseases, his rocky entrance and early start in the world gave him a sense of higher purpose. One of his first memories was overhearing his doctor tell his parents that unless he got enough rest, he would not make it. Instead of giving up and losing the will to live, Gaudi defied the doctor and pulled through. (4, Hensbergen) Gaudi’s defiance of death on these several occasions gave him a superior sense of purpose. Growing up, he felt as if he were meant to be a part of this world and that he did not survive by accident. This sense of self-worth and purpose followed him into Adulthood, and is reflected in his many works. Gaudi was born into a long accommodating line of Artisans dating back for eight generations including merchants, miners, farmers, weavers, boilermakers and coppersmiths. (4, Hensbergen) The Gaudi’s had been metalworkers and had married the daughters of other smiths. (468, Hughes) Gaudi had said; “I have the quality of special apprehension because I am the son, grandson and great-grandson of copper smiths. My father was a smith, my grandfather also.

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