Architect Gaudi: biography and work

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The architect Gaudí was born in 1852, on June 25th. He died in 1926, June 10. Antonio Gaudi was born in the city of Reus, in a peasant family. This city is located 150 km from Barcelona. The child was baptized in Reus, in St. Peter's Basilica, the very next day. In honor of Antonia, his mother, the future architect Gaudí was named. His works and brief biographical information will be presented in this article.

Antonio is stronger than death

The parents were afraid that the child would not survive. His mother's pregnancy was difficult, childbirth was difficult. Shortly before the birth of Antonio, his parents had already mourned two babies. For some reason, in this family, all the children died very early. The boy overheard once in his childhood a conversation with his parents' doctor. He predicted Antonio's imminent inevitable death. However, Antonio Gaudi decided to survive. And he succeeded, although he was tormented by illness all his life. At 30, he looked twice as old as his peers, a decrepit old man at fifty. Antonio knew thatnot just survived.

Childhood Antonio Gaudí

The boy's father and grandfather were blacksmiths. One grandfather of his mother was a cooper, the second was a sailor. This Antonio explained his ability to feel and think in three dimensions. As a child, he could spend hours watching how water flows, how clouds float. Antonio was interested in how leaves form a crown, how a flower is arranged, how water grinds a stone, why a tree does not fall under gusts of wind. Then he was attracted by his father's workshop. Miracles were performed in it every day: shiny vessels were made from flat copper sheets. Antonio studied at the school from 1863 to 1868, which was converted from a Catholic college. He was not a good student. Geometry is the only thing in which he was noted. Antonio's favorite pastime was drawing. He loved to explore the dilapidated surrounding monasteries with his friends.

Gaudi in his younger years

In 1878, Gaudí graduated from the Provincial School of Architecture in Barcelona.

In his younger years, Antonio was a dandy and a dandy, a lover of black silk top hats and kid gloves. He had red hair and blue eyes. Many ladies fell in love with Gaudi, but he was left alone. He courted Pepeta Moreu, a teacher, for a long time, but she refused the marriage proposal, because she was already engaged. Then Gaudi met with an American for a short time, but she returned to her homeland, and their paths diverged. Antonio saw in this a sign of fate: he must be alone. This is a sacrifice for a higher purpose.

Footprints of Gaudí in Reus

It is useless today to look for traces of Gaudí in Reus. You will find only the same type of signs nailed to office buildings, saying that there was once a house in this place … Except that the atmosphere of this ancient city deserves attention: magnificent baroque mansions, Gothic Sant Pere with its 40-meter bell tower. The master managed to almost exactly reproduce the spiral staircase of the bell tower in the Sagrada Familia Cathedral. The photo below shows the house where the Gaudi family lived in Reus.

Gaudi creations

The author of eighteen structures is the architect Gaudi. All of them were made in Spain: 14 - in their native Catalonia, 12 of them - in Barcelona. A trail of legends and myths trails behind each of these creations. His houses are puzzles. It seems impossible to unravel their hidden meaning.

Many architectural objects of the city of Barcelona were created by Gaudí. There are few architects in the world who have had such a significant impact on the appearance of a city or created something so iconic for their culture. Gaudí is the most famous architect in Spain. His work marked the flowering of Art Nouveau in this country. A characteristic feature of Gaudí's style is that natural, organic forms (animals, rocks, trees, clouds) became the sources of this author's architectural fantasies. Antonio did not like geometrically correct and closed spaces. He believed that a straight line is a product of man. But the circle is a product of God. Antonio Gaudí declared war on the direct line, forming hisown style, which is easily recognized even by people who are far from architecture.

Gaudi and municipal authorities

Antonio's career began with a scandal. The 26-year-old architect Gaudí demanded a fee, which was, according to the authorities of Barcelona, too much. And today the Royal Square is decorated with the winged helmets of Mercury and monumental lanterns designed by the novice architect. Gaudí's first municipal commission was his last. Never again did the Barcelona authorities offer this master any job.

Casa Calvet

Only 20 years later, the architect Gaudi received the only official award in his biography - the city prize for the facade of the mansion, which he completed for the Calvet family, textile magnates. Not without a twist, the work was done, but Casa Calvet, rather restrained, is the most unassuming project of Antoni Gaudí.

Casa Vicens

The master was trusted by private clients. Gaudi (architect) and his houses have earned the recognition of contemporaries. Don Montaner, a manufacturer, commissioned him a summer house in 1883. Architect Antonio Gaudi, examining for the first time the site of a future construction site, at that time still a suburb, discovered a huge palm tree surrounded by yellow flowers. He preserved both the vegetation and the tree. Palm leaves made up the lattice pattern, and flowers can be seen on the facing tiles. They say that by paying for the fantasies of Antonio Gaudi, the customer almost went bankrupt. Today, Casa Vicens is a small palace, as if from an oriental fairy tale. It is closely pressed by neighboring houses. The view catches from the nearest streetjust a tower. Blackout blinds are down, you can't go inside, because this is private property.

The extravagant debut made the strongest impression on the people of Barcelona. Gaudi, most importantly, had a patron, whose name was Don Eusebio Güell. This man had impeccable taste. He liked risky experiments. Guell did not impose his opinion, he signed the estimates without looking. Architect Antonio Gaudí gradually became the family architect and friend of the Güells.

Palace Güell

Eusebio has long dreamed of a practical beautiful house. Gaudi masterfully coped with this task. The architect squeezed into a narrow space (only 18 by 22 meters) a beautiful mansion, reminiscent of a Venetian palazzo and a mosque at the same time. Luxurious interiors were hidden behind the gray marble facade of this building. They did not spare money for finishing: rosewood, ebony, ivory, tortoiseshell. One of the rooms is lined with beech, the other - with eucalyptus. Carved ceilings with leaves are made of silver and gold. It was here that Gaudi first turned a roof with ventilation pipes and chimneys into a garden of standing stones.

Park Güell

Gaudi and Guell dreamed of turning Bald Mountain into a garden. They wanted the private villas located here to be surrounded by greenery. Aqueducts, grottoes, fountains, pavilions, paths, alleys were located around the estates along the perimeter. The project failed commercially. Only 2 plots out of 60 were sold. We althy people did not want to live so far from the city limits. Today's Barcelona people would certainly approveseat selection.

The layout of the park resembles a compressed spring. Serpentine to the top from the foot rise steep stairs and winding paths. Park Güell is now not only a joy for the eyes and soul, but also a pleasure for the lungs: it turned out to be above the level of smog. Clean air and palm groves are so necessary for city dwellers today! A pool with a dragon and a snake is a favorite entertainment for the children. And those who decide to reach the top will be rewarded with a magnificent view of the sea and Barcelona.

My favorite ritual was sitting on the snake bench. According to the contractor, Gaudi ordered the workers to take off all their clothes and sit as comfortably as possible on a fresh layer of mortar in order to get the perfect shape of the seat. Only at first, the running pattern of multicolored shiny ceramics seems random. A series of numbers, composite pictures, mysterious drawings, encrypted messages, mysterious signs, magic formulas are scattered along the entire length of the bench. There are many stories about how people sitting on it suddenly began to distinguish between dates, names, words of prayers, inscriptions …

The later life of Gaudí

An architect, even at the age of 50, does not change his loneliness, becomes more religious. Antonio moves to Park Güell from the center of Barcelona, away from the bustle of the city. People are afraid and respect the master. He is closed, eccentric, sharp. Nothing remains of Gaudí's former panache. The main thing is convenience: a shapeless suit, custom-made shoes from squash roots. Gaudi observes all fasts. His food is raw vegetables, nuts, olive oil, bread with honey andspring water.

He announced at the height of his career that from now on he would work only on religious orders. And if a secular project is offered, he will first ask permission for this work from the Madonna of Montserrat.

Casa Batlo

Gaudi in the fall of 1904 undertook to rebuild the mansion of Casanovas, a textile magnate. No wonder the quarter in which the house was located was nicknamed the "apple of discord." On one spot along Gracia Street, the buildings of the most famous architects of Catalonia stand, tightly pressed together - a kind of parade of ambitions and pretensions. It is best to come here in the morning, when the sun's rays fall on the facade and it, covered with "fish scales", shimmers with all sorts of colors. There are no corners, no edges, no straight lines. The walls are curved as if an unknown sea monster is playing with its muscles under the skin-lining. The townspeople of Casa Batlo called it the House of Bones. There is something in this: balconies-skulls and columns-bones - the remains of the victims of a huge dragon. However, they have already been avenged - a tower with a cross rises above the roof. This is St. George, who is the patron saint of Catalonia, raised his sword victoriously. The backbone of the defeated dragon is the jagged, curved ridge of the roof.

Casa Mila

Ten minutes walk from this building and you will be in Casa Mila. Again, Gaudi broke his vow: he began to design a large multi-apartment building with all amenities: garages, hot water. The architect even planned to make a ramp so that residents could reach the apartment doors right onauto. This stern mass compared to Casa Batlo grows right out of the ground, like a mighty old baobab, or a lava-flowing volcano, or weathered rocks, or the wreck of a lost ship…

And this building was awarded by the people of Barcelona with many nicknames - "hornet's nest", "nursery for snakes", "earthquake victim", "railway accident" and others. On the roof - arches, ladders, descents, ascents. And now you can rent an apartment in La Pedrera. The apartments are cozy and comfortable, but you will have to endure the incessant innumerable flows of tourists.

For half a century of work, the architect Gaudi completed 75 orders. Photos of some of his works are presented in this article. As is often the case in architecture, some of them did not progress beyond a sketch, but they were the sketches of a genius. One of them is a grandiose hotel project in New York - a 300-meter "hotel temple", which was completed by the great architect Gaudi.

Sagrada Familia

Casa Mila is Gaudí's last big order. Its sole purpose since 1910 has been the Sagrada Familia, aka the Sagrada Familia. Antonio was even buried here in a small underground chapel.

Like the whole life that the architect Antonio Gaudí lived, the Sagrada Familia is full of overt and hidden signs. 12 towers are dedicated to the apostles. The symbol of the sacrifice of the Savior is the central one, with a cross. Interior decoration - garden:the columns are trunks of plane trees, the closing crowns of which form a dome. You can see the stars through it at night. The building was designed in such a way that bells sounded in it, like a grandiose organ, and the wind sang through the holes in the towers, like a real choir. There are pews for 30,000 worshipers.

Work on the creation of the temple began in 1882. They were first led by the architects De Villar and Martorel. The architect Gaudi Sagrada Familia began designing and building in 1891. He kept the plan of his predecessors, but made some changes.

The temple, as conceived by Gaudi, was to become an allegory of the Nativity of Christ, which is represented by three facades. The eastern one is dedicated to Christmas, the southern one is dedicated to the Resurrection, the western one is dedicated to the Passion of Christ.

Temple sculpture

The towers and portals of the temple are equipped with abundant sculpture. All the characters depicted on the facade of the Nativity have real prototypes: the worker's grandson - baby Jesus, the alcoholic watchman - Judas, the fat goatherd - Pontius Pilate, the handsome plasterer - King David. The local junk dealer borrowed a donkey. Gaudi visited the anatomical theater, removed plaster casts from stillborn children for the scene of the beating of babies. Every sculpture, every stone, was raised and lowered dozens of times before being set in place.

All the time, the architect Gaudi, whose biography is briefly described, painfully thought out something, reworked it, modeled it, drew it. Therefore, it is not surprising that the process has dragged on so long. The master in 1886 stated confidently that he would complete the cathedral in 10 years, howeversubsequently, more and more often he compared his brainchild with the temples of the Middle Ages, built over the centuries.

The style of the temple is vaguely reminiscent of Gothic. However, it is also something completely new. The building is designed for a choir of 1500 singers, as well as a children's choir (700 people). The temple was to become the center of Catholicism. Pope Leon XIII supported the construction from the very beginning.

Gaudi's work

Despite the fact that over 35 years of work on the project, Gaudí could only complete the Christmas facade and 4 towers above it. The western part of the apse, which makes up the bulk of the building, has not yet been completed. Construction continues today, more than 70 years after the death of Antoni Gaudí. Spiers are gradually being erected (during the life of Antonio only one was completed), facades are being formed with images of evangelists and apostles, scenes of death and the ascetic life of the Savior. It is planned to complete the work around 2030.

Death of Antonio Gaudí

In 1926, June 7, the architect Antonio Gaudi, whose biography was briefly described, in the evening, at 17:30, left the Sagrada Familia and went to his usual evening confession. On this day, the first tram was launched in Barcelona. Gaudi fell under him. The driver of the tram that hit him later said that he hit a drunken tramp. Gaudi did not have documents; a handful of nuts and the Gospel were found in his pockets. He died in a homeless shelter three days later and was to be buried with others in a common grave. Just by chance an old womanrecognized him. Pictured below is Gaudí's funeral on June 12.

Memory

2002 was declared the year of Gaudí. Architect Antonio Gaudi and his creations are of great interest today.

For more than 10 years, a campaign has been going on in support of the canonization of this man. The Pope is expected to sign the instrument of beatification in 2015, the third of four stages of canonization. It is planned that Antonio will become a saint - the patron saint of architects. Undoubtedly, Antonio Gaudí deserved it. Even great architects could take an example from him. Gaudi is a model of spirituality and genius combined in his personality.