Architecture
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ARCHITECTURE IT WAS BRUNOZEVI WHO, IN HIS ARTICLE: "UN GENIO CATALANO: ANTONIO GAUD~",RECOVERED A PLACE FOR "THIS TALENT WITH THE STRONGEST PERSONALITY PRODUCED BY EITHER THE NINETEENTH OR TWENTIETH CENTURIES". urban planning projects. In the case of Barcelona, its expansion was estab- lished by the "Cerda plan", drawn up in 1859. The moment of indecision was broken in Catalonia by the movement which, under the name of "Modernism", responded to the new social and cultu- ral atmosphere, product of an econo- mic, political and regional development, which covered the last decade of the nineteenth century and the first two of the twentieth. The Catalan bourgeosie of the time was dynamic, in full expansion, deeply aware of its own identity and anxious to differentiate itself from the rest of the Spanish state. In the case of Antoni Gaudi and his life and work, we can trace a singular de- velopment which has a unique flavour, is surprising and, sometimes, difficult to classify. Antoni Gaudi i Cornet (Reus 1852- Barcelona 19261, studied in Reus, in the faculty of science of the University of Barcelona, and in the provincial school of architecture, which he entered in 1873, and where he obtained his de- gree in architecture in 1878. His first works as a student with the architect Josep Fontseré were in the Ciutadella park, in Barcelona, and his first work as an architect were the lamps in the Placa Reial, and the design for the he last decades of the nine- illumination of the Muralla del Mar teenth century in Spain were (Sea-wall1, both in Barcelona, as well as characterized by a certain artis- a project for the Workers' Cooperative tic confusionism, which coincided with of Mataró. Between 1880 and 1900 the restoration of the monarchy (1875- (known as his first period), Gaudí de- 19021. During this period, and until the signed and built in Barcelona the "Casa beginning of the Civil War, Spain was to Vicens" (1883-1 8881, the pavilions of live a Silver Age of Culture. the. Güell estate ( 1 884- 1 8871, the Güell The architecture of the nineteenth cen- palace ( 1 886-1 8891, the Colegio Tere- tury entered a period of crisis, due to its siano ( 1 888- 18901, the "Casa Calvet" dependence on earlier artistic move- ( 1 898- 1 9041, and the "Torre Belles- ments: neoclassicism and neoromanti- guard" (1 900- 1902). cism. Architects were not looking for His only work outside of Catalonia was: new technical solutions outside of these the El Capricho villa in Comillas (1883- two styles. 18851, the Episcopal Palace in Astorga Nevertheless, the constant irrepressible ( 1 887- 1 8941 and the "Casa Fernández growth of ttie cities, and the overwhelm- Andrés" in León ( 1 89 1 - 1 8941. In 1 884 XAVlER GÜELLARCHITECT ing need to organize them, led to new Gaudi was given the job of continuing 16 ARCHITECTURE the recently begun work on the Temple ca Cathedral (1903-1 9141, the "Casa de La Sagrada Familia. In this first pe- Batlló" (1904-1 9061, the "Casa Mila" or riod Gaudí tried hard to find a style of "Pedrera" (1906- 19 101, the crypt of the his own with a pro-Catalan feeling. This "Colonia Güell" (1898-1 908-1 91 51, the nationalism soon became part of his Sagrada Familia schools, and as a cul- personal identity, and to this we must mination of al1 his work, the Temple de add the fact that he took part in a series La Sagrada Familia ( 1 883- 19261, al1 of i of intellectual discussions at the house them in Barcelona except for Maiorca of his great patron and protector, Euse- Cathedral and the crypt of the "Colonia bi Güell Bacigalupi. There, there were Güell", which is in Santa Coloma de frequent conversations about the theo- Cervelló. ries of Ruskin, the music of Wagner and At this moment, the universal Gaudi ap- the writings of Viollet-le-Duc. pears. The Güell park is, above all, an All the works from this first period stem example of urban planning, with an from an eclectic approach in which va- overwhelming formal and aromatic rious different styles appear. Whereas force. Although, in this project, Gaudí the "Casa Vicens" and the "Villa el Ca- was to see his idea of a garden-city pricho" follow a Mudeiar style, using frustrated, the necessary infrastructure glazed tyles on the fagade, in the pavi- remained: streets, services, layout etc. lions of the Güell estate with its dragon The observant visitor will notice how ar- though it is the work in which he risked door entirely of wrought iron, Gaudi chitecture and nature unite in an archi- most and in which he achieved total and concentrated on the design of indivi- tectural creation which is unique in the absolute recognition. dual elements, emphasizing them and world. The Sagrada Familia schools, a minor achieving an accurately balanced con- In the "Casa Batlló", Gaudí converted project though highly succesful architec- trast. the outer skin of a typical building in the turally, are situated next to the great The Güell palace, with its medieval ap- Barcelona "eixample", or enlargement, temple. With the temple, Gaudí started pearance, and its two parabolic arches into one full of light, colour and expres- from a very ambitious proiect, which he on the ground floor, is more important siveness, while in the "Casa Mila" he was only partly to complete, due to its for its decorative work and the quality assumes complete freedom of design. In high cost. The most important part built of its finishes, which contrast with the this house he completely broke the is the fagade of the Nativity, with two austerity and spatial fluidity of the Con- totally different faces. perhaps we vento Teresiano. The Episcopal palace should pay more attention to the inte- of Astorga and the "Casa Fernandez rior face, in which there is only geo- Andrés", according to H;R. Hitchcock, metry and architecture. From a global "could quite easily pass as Anglo- view of it to a fragmented one, is a American Provincial High Gothic Victo- journey from the purest Gothic to a style rian of twenty or thirty years ago". which is Cubist in some of its elements. The "Casa Calvet", with a somewhat ba- Its monumentality can distract us, but roque air to the top of the principal here we see the whole of Gaudi's deve- fag'ade, and the tower of ~ellbs~ua'rd, rythm of spaces, corners, cornices and lopment: the purity of line, the great where the medievalist feeling emerges naturalist ornamentation. The roof is the technique, the constructive rigour and once again in the enveloping exterior, most interesting part of the building, an absolutely symmetrical construction, forming a counterpoint to the construc- with strange elements in continuous mo- rarely used by Gaudi. tive richness of austere lines of the inte- vement, covered in little bits of pot- Gaudi's entire work went completely rior, are the two woks which mark the tery. unnoticed by international opinion until beginning of the transition of the turn of In the crypt of the "Colonia Güell", the fifties. It was Bruno Zevi who, in his the century. Gaudi concentrated al1 his efforts in the article: "Un genio catalano: Antonio The proiects which Gaudí undertook attempt to find his own dialogue with his Gaudí", while recognizing the difficulty from 1900 on, formed his second pe- work. Leaving aside any dependance of placing him, recovered a place for riod. The Güell park (1900-1 91 41, the on rules, he searched for a style which "this talent with the strongest persona- gate and fence of the Miralles estate would be fully expressive and undoub- lity produced by either the nineteenth (190 1- 1 9021, the restoration of Maior- tedly accurate in its formal result, or twentieth centuries" (H.R.H.). • .