Facts about antonio gaudi. Biography of Antoni Gaudi: interesting facts, videos of Gaudi and his creations

Hello friends. Probably, you are already accustomed to the fact that we tell you about interesting sights, cities, those points on our planet that you simply cannot fail to visit. This time we want to tell you about Antoni Gaudi. Let's try to do without enthusiastic epithets - they have all been said about this architect more than once. Let's just note: without this person, Barcelona, ​​Spain and even the history of world architecture would not have been familiar to us. Go.

Antonio Placid was born Guillem Gaudí y Cornet in 1852 in Catalonia, in the small town of Reus. He was the youngest child in big family the boiler-maker Francesc Gaudí y Serre and his wife.

It was thanks to his father's workshop, as Antonio himself later said, that his biography as an architect began.

His brothers and sister died, and later his mother died. So in the care of Gaudi was the niece. The three of them settled in Barcelona with their father.

In 1906, his father died, his health had already been severely undermined by that time, and six years later his niece died.

The birth of a star

By 1878, Gaudí graduated from the school of architecture. Then he began to work as a draftsman, did a lot of ancillary work, unsuccessfully took part in all kinds of competitions.

What was happening around? And the excitement reigned around, associated with the neo-Gothic style. The idea and the very forms of this trend certainly admired Gaudí. But he took inspiration for his projects from the work of Viollet-le-Duc, Spanish architect Martorell and art critic John Ruskin.

Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc - French architect, restorer, art critic and architecture historian, neo-Gothic ideologist, founder of architectural restoration. Wikipedia

The turning point in the work of Antoni Gaudi was the acquaintance with Eusebi Guell, who would later become his friend.

One of the richest people in Catalonia, Guell, could afford to play a little naughty, making his wildest dreams come true. Well, Gaudi received in this case complete freedom of expression.

For the Guell family, Antonio created projects for the city palace, the pavilions of their estate, wine cellars, crypts, chapels, as well as the one known to everyone.

Bench in Park Guell

Don't forget about the beautiful pieces of furniture that the Gaudí designer came up with and brought to Güell's homes.

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Gradually, Gaudi went beyond the then dominant styles, completely plunged into the depths of his own universe of curved surfaces and natural ornaments. And with the completion of construction at the age of 34, the architect has already become a star, whose work not everyone could afford.

For the wealthy of Barcelona, ​​he built incredible houses unlike each other -,. All of them seemed to have lived their bizarre, incomprehensible lives to a stranger.

Mila House Interior

Love, friends, death

The genius devoted all his time to work. They say that he loved only one woman in his life - the teacher Joseph Moreau. But she did not reciprocate. It is generally believed that the architect was a rather arrogant and rude person. Although people from the inner circle said the opposite.

In his youth, Antonio dressed like a dandy, was a gourmet, well versed in theatrical art. In adulthood, he completely stopped taking care of himself. Often on the streets he was mistaken for a vagabond.

The latter fact became, alas, fatal for the architect. On June 7, 1926, Gaudí went to church. At the next intersection, he was hit by a tram. The cabman refused to take the unkempt old man, fearing that he would not be paid for the trip.

In the end, the craftsmen were taken to the doorstep of the hospital for the beggars, where the first absolutely primitive help was found. The next day, Gaudi was found by acquaintances, but it was already impossible to save him. He died on June 10 and was buried in the Sagrada Familia a few days later.

Interior of the Sagrada Familia temple

Interestingly, in recent decades, a program has been underway to canonize Gaudí as a saint, patron saint of architects.

Architecture

The life of the architect was fruitful and vibrant. As bright as its architecture. Many believe that Gaudi worked in the Art Nouveau style. However, in fact, his houses noticeably go beyond the boundaries of one style.

We have already mentioned the most famous works of the architect. Let's remember a few more.

One of his first works was the House of Vincennes, a private residential building that Gaudi built almost immediately after receiving his diploma. And its architecture clearly shows the influence of the Spanish-Arabic Mudejar style.

House Vincennes

The next brainchild of the master was the summer mansion of El Capriccio in the town of Comillas.

Construction was commissioned by a relative of Guell. And Gaudi himself never even visited the construction site. This building is known primarily for its constructivist feature - the horizontal distribution of space.

On the territory of Leon stands another ode to the Gothic, created by Antonio - Dom Botines. This seven-level building is practically devoid of external decoration. The strict look is set off only by the artistic forging of the lattice.

But let's go back to Barcelona. Yet it is here that most of the great architect's creations are located.

House Calvet is another private house built by Gaudí.

It was built as a tenement house. Here you will not see even a hint of Gothic. The design of the building is quite ascetic, which is in good harmony with other buildings in the area.

But take a closer look, and you will see a lot of important little things: hammers on entrance doors depict bedbugs, textile bobbins at the entrance remind of the owner's profession, floral ornaments hint at the hobby of the owners of the house.

And, of course, the symbol of Barcelona, ​​and maybe the whole country - the Sagrada Familia or Sagrada Familia.

This is probably the most famous long-term construction. Various architects have worked and are working on its creation. One of them was Gaudi. It was his work that formed the basis for the appearance of the building.

Gaudi also made his contribution to the field of landscape architecture and small forms. These include:

• Artigas gardens
• lanterns of the royal square of Barcelona
• Mirallas gate and many others.

On several occasions he worked in conscience with other masters.

These were the life and work of a genius who changed our understanding of architecture.

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You cannot imagine romantic Paris without Gustave Eiffel's tower, eternal Rome without the Colosseum, prim London without Big Ben, and sultry Barcelona without the buildings of Antoni Gaudi. The great master and genius of architecture created the appearance of the city by which the whole world now recognizes it. Working for the good of the people practically for nothing, building his masterpieces to the pleasure of the rich townspeople, he devoted his whole life without a trace to art, ending his way in poverty. However, the talent of the master and the memory of him are etched forever in stone.

Antonio Gaudi, architect: biography

The future famous architect was born on June 25, 1852, according to some sources, it happened in the town of Reus near Tarragona, according to others - in Riudoms. His father's name was Francesco Gaudí y Sierra, and his mother was Antonia Cornet y Bertrand. He was the fifth child in the family. He received the name in honor of his mother, and acquired the double surname Gaudí y Cornet according to the old Spanish tradition.

Antonio's father belonged to hereditary blacksmiths, he was engaged not only in forging, but also in copper chasing, and his mother was an ordinary housewife who devoted herself to raising children. The son quite early joined the understanding of the objective beauty of the world, and at the same time fell in love with drawing. Perhaps it is to his father's craft smithy that the origins of Gaudi's work go. The architect's mother faced difficult trials, almost all children died in infancy. In her memoirs, she said that Antonio was proud that he was able to survive, despite difficult childbirth and illness. He carried the thought of his special role and purpose throughout his life.

After the death of all his brothers and sisters, his mother, in 1879, Antonio, along with his father and little niece, settled in Barcelona.

Study in Reus

A. Gaudi received his basic education in Reus. His academic performance was average, the only subject that he knew just brilliantly was geometry. He spoke little with his peers and preferred solitary walks to the noisy boyish society. However, he still had friends - Jose Ribera and Eduardo Toda. The latter, in particular, recalled that Gaudi did not particularly like cramming, and his studies were hampered by frequent bouts of illness.

In the field of art, he first showed himself in 1867, when he tried his hand at decorating a theatrical stage as an artist. Antonio Gaudi coped with this task brilliantly. However, even then he was attracted by architecture - "painting in stone", and he regarded drawing as a passing craft.

Studying in Barcelona and becoming

After graduating from school in his native Reus in 1869, Gaudi had the opportunity to continue his education at a higher educational institution. However, he decided to wait a bit and prepare well. To this end, in 1869 he went to Barcelona, ​​where he first got a job in an architectural bureau as a draftsman. At the same time, a 17-year-old boy signed up for preparatory courses, where he studied for 5 years, which is a rather long period. In the period from 1870 to 1882, he worked under the guidance of architects F. Villar and E. Sala: he participated in various competitions, performed minor works (lanterns, fences, etc.), studied crafts and even designed furniture for his own home.

At this time, Europe was dominated by the neo-Gothic style, and the young architect was no exception. He enthusiastically followed his ideals, as well as the ideas of the neo-Gothic enthusiasts. This is the period when the style of the architect Gaudi was formed, his special and unique view of the world. He fully supported the declaration of art critic D. Ruskin that decorativeness is the beginning of architecture. His creative style from year to year became more and more unique and far from the generally accepted traditions. Gaudí graduated from the Provincial School of Architecture in 1878.

Architect Gaudi: interesting facts

• During his student years, Gaudi was a member of the Nui Guerrer ("New Host") society. Young people were engaged in decorating carnival platforms and playing parodies of historical and political themes from the life of famous Catalans.
• The decision on the final exam at the Barcelona school was taken collectively (by majority vote). In conclusion, the director turned to his colleagues and said: "Gentlemen, this is either a genius or a madman." To this remark, Gaudí replied: "It seems that I am now an architect."
• Gaudi's father and son were vegetarians, adherents clean air and a special diet according to the method of Dr. Kneipp.
• Once Gaudi received an order from a choral society with a request to make a banner (a banner with the faces of Christ, the Mother of God or saints) for religious processions. By all accounts, it should have been extremely heavy, but the architect showed ingenuity and used cork instead of ordinary wood.
• Since 2005, the creations of Antoni Gaudi have been included in the UNESCO World Heritage Register.

First job

The student's financial situation was rather fragile. There was no need to expect support from the family in Reus, and the work of a draftsman brought a very modest income. Gaudí barely made ends meet. He did not have close relatives, almost no friends, but he had a talent that began to be noticed. At that moment, the work of the architect Gaudi was going through a stage of formation, he was far from his searches and believed that experiments were the lot of professionals in their field. In 1870, the authorities of Catalonia attracted architects of various categories to the restoration of the monastery in Poblet. Young Gaudi sent his sketch of the coat of arms of the abbot of the monastery to the project competition and won. This work was the first creative victory and brought him a good fee.

What, if not luck, is Gaudi's acquaintance with Joan Martorell in the living room of the wealthy businessman Guell? The owner of textile factories presented him as the most promising architect not only in Barcelona, ​​but also in Catalonia. Martorell agreed and offered a job in addition to his friendship. He was not just a famous Spanish architect. Gaudí developed a relationship with a professor of architecture, whose opinion in this area was considered authoritative, and whose skill was brilliant. Acquaintance, first with Guell, and then with Martorell, became fateful for him.

Early work

Under the influence of the new mentor, the first projects appeared, stylistically related to the early modernist style, richly decorated and bright. Among them is the Vicens House resembling a gingerbread house (residential, private), which you see in the photo below.

Gaudí completed his project in 1878, almost in parallel with his graduation and receiving an architect's diploma. The house has an almost regular quadrangular shape, the symmetry of which is broken only by the dining room and smoking room. Gaudí used many decorative elements in addition to colored ceramic tiles (a tribute to the activities of the owner of the building), namely: turrets, bay windows, ledges of facades, balconies. The influence of the Spanish-Arabic Mudejar style is felt. Even in this early work, there is a desire to create not just a house, but a real architectural ensemble, characteristic of all of Gaudí's work. The architect and his houses are not only the pride of Barcelona. Gaudí also worked outside the Catalan capital.

In 1883-1885. El Capriccio was built in the city of Comillas in the province of Cantabria (pictured below). Luxurious summer mansion tiled outside with ceramic tiles and yards of brick. Not so florid and whimsical yet, but already unique and bright.

This was followed by Dom Calvet and the school at the Monastery of Saint Teresa in Barcelona, ​​Dom Botines and the neo-Gothic episcopal palace in Leon.

Meeting with Guell

The meeting of Gaudí and Guell is a happy occasion when fate itself pushes people towards each other. The house of a textile worker and philanthropist gathered all the intellectual color of the capital of Catalonia. However, he himself knew a lot about not only business and politics, but also art and painting. Having received an excellent education, an entrepreneurial spirit by nature and at the same time modesty, he actively contributed to the promotion of social projects and the development of art. Perhaps, without his help, as an architect, Gaudi would not have taken place, or his creative path would have developed differently.

There are two versions of the acquaintance of an architect and a philanthropist. According to the first, the fateful meeting took place in Paris, at the World Exhibition of 1878. In one of the pavilions, he drew attention to the ambitious project of a young architect - the Mataro workers' settlement. The second version is less official. After graduation, Gaudi took up any job in order to improve his financial situation and at the same time gain experience. He even had to decorate the window of a glove store. Guell found him doing this. He recognized his genius talent at once, and soon Gaudí became a frequent guest in his house. The first job that he entrusted him was just the village of Mataro. And if you believe the second version, it was at the suggestion of the industrialist that the model ended up in Paris. Soon, the future great architect Gaudí took up the construction of the Palau Guell (1885-1890). In this project, for the first time, the main features of his style were reflected - the combination of structural and decorative elements with each other.

Having supported Gaudí at the very beginning of his creative career, Guell subsequently took care of him throughout his life.

Park Guell

A bright, picturesque and unusual park in the upper part of Barcelona was named after Eusebi Güell, the main initiator of its construction. This is one of the most interesting works of Gaudí; he worked on the creation of the ensemble from 1900 to 1914. The original plan was to create a residential green space in the style of a garden city - a concept that was fashionable in England at the time. For this purpose, Guell acquired an area of ​​15 hectares. The plots did not sell well, and the area far from the city center did not particularly attract the attention of the inhabitants of Barcelona.

The work began in 1901 and was carried out in three stages. Initially, the slopes of the hill were fortified and arranged, then roads were laid, pavilions at the entrance and surrounding walls were built, at the final stage the famous winding bench was created. More than one architect worked on all this. Gaudí recruited Julie Ballevel and Francesco Berenguer to work. The house, built according to the project of the latter, could not be sold. Therefore, Güell suggested that Gaudí himself live there. The architect bought it in 1906 and lived there until 1925. Today, the building houses a house-museum named after him. The project turned out to be economically unsuccessful, and Guell eventually sold it to the city hall, which transformed it into a park. Now it is one of the business cards of Barcelona, ​​a photo of this park can be seen on all avenues, postcards, magnets, etc.

Casa Batlló

The house of the textile magnate Josep Batlló y Casanovas was built in 1877, and in 1904 the architect Gaudí began to rebuild it, whose works by that time were popular and known far beyond the city limits. He retained the original structure of the building, which with side walls adjoined two neighboring buildings, and radically changed two facades (in the photo - the front one), and also redesigned the mezzanine and the lower floor, creating for them designer furniture, added a basement, an attic and a stepped roof terrace.

The light shafts inside were combined into a courtyard area, and this made it possible to improve not only lighting, but also ventilation. Many historians and art historians are of the opinion that Casa Batlló is the beginning of a new stage in the work of the master. From that moment on, Gaudi's architectural solutions become exclusively his own vision of the plasticity of the world, without regard to any architectural styles.

House Milo

The master created an unusual residential building for 4 years (1906-1910), now it is one of the main attractions of the capital of Catalonia (Spain, Barcelona). The house built by the architect Gaudí at the intersection of Carrer de Provença and Passeig de Gràcia became his last secular work, after which he devoted himself entirely to the Sagrada Familia.

The building is distinguished not only by its external originality and an innovative internal project for its time. A well-thought-out ventilation system allows you to abandon the use of air conditioners, and to change the situation, apartment owners can freely rearrange the interior partitions, in addition, an underground garage is equipped. The building has a reinforced concrete structure without load-bearing and retaining walls, which is supported by load-bearing columns. The photo below shows the courtyard of the house and the original wavy roof with windows.

The inhabitants of Barcelona called the building "quarry" for the heavy construction and the appearance of the facade, as they did not immediately feel the sense of beauty for this creation of Gaudí.

The architect and his houses have become a real decoration of the city. Scattered in different parts of it, they give the impression of the integrity of the capital of Catalonia. Wherever you look, everywhere you will feel the presence of its chief architect: from heavy lanterns to majestic domes and columns, inconceivable in the form of facades of buildings.

The expiatory temple of the Sagrada Família

Barcelona's Sagrada Familia is one of the most famous long-term construction projects in the world. Since 1882, it has been built exclusively with donations from the townspeople. The building became the most famous project of the master and clearly demonstrates the fact how exceptional, talented and unique A. Gaudí is an architect. The Sagrada Familia was consecrated by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010, June 7, and on the same day it was officially recognized as ready for daily services.

The idea of ​​its creation appeared in 1874, and already in 1881, thanks to donations from the townspeople, a plot was acquired in the Eixample district, which at that time was located a few kilometers from Barcelona. Initially, the project was carried out by the architect Villar. He saw a new neo-Gothic basilica-style church in the shape of a cross, which is formed by five longitudinal and three transverse naves. However, towards the end of 1882, due to disagreements with the customer, Villar left the construction site, giving way to A. Gaudi.

The work on the project throughout his life went in stages. So, in the period from 1883 to 1889, he completely completed the crypt. Then he decided to make major changes to the original project, and this was due to an all-time large anonymous donation. Gaudí began work on the facade of the Nativity in 1892, and in 1911 a project for the second was created, the construction of which began after his death.

When the great master died, the work was continued by his close associate Domenech Sugranes, who had been helping Gaudi since 1902. Great architects are remembered by the world for large-scale and ambitious, unique projects. Gaudí became such, who dedicated more than 40 years of his life to the Sagrada Familia. For years he experimented with the shape of the bells, thought through the structure of the building to the smallest detail, which was supposed to become a grandiose organ under the influence of the wind passing through certain holes in the tower, and he imagined the interior decoration as a multicolored and bright psalm to the glory of God. The photo below is a view of the temple from the inside.

The construction of the temple is underway to this day; not so long ago, the Spanish authorities officially announced that it was unlikely to be completed before 2026.

A. Gaudí devoted his whole life to architecture without a trace. Despite the popularity and fame that came to him, he remained modest and alone. Unfamiliar people claimed that he was rude, arrogant and unpleasant, while a few loved ones spoke of him as a wonderful and loyal friend. Over the years, Gaudí gradually went headlong into Catholicism and the faith, while his way of life changed dramatically. He gave his own earnings and savings to the temple, in the crypt of which he was buried on June 12, 1926.

Who is he really? The famous Spanish architect Gaudí is the heritage of world architecture, its separate chapter. He is a man who refuted all authorities and worked outside the boundaries of the styles known to art. The Catalans adore him, and the rest of the world admires him.

The world-renowned Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852-1926) managed to create 18 masterpieces that have been considered the pinnacle of innovative and unique style for many decades. Until now, some consider his fantastic buildings to be ingenious, and someone just crazy. Most of these works are in the master's native Barcelona, ​​which became not only his home, but also a kind of strange laboratory in which Gaudí conducted amazing architectural experiments.

Although it is generally accepted that the Spanish architect worked in the Art Nouveau style, it is impossible to fit his projects into the framework of any kind of movement at all. He lived and worked according to rules that only he could understand, adhering to incomprehensible laws, therefore, all the work of the master is better classified as "the style of Gaudi".

Today we will get acquainted with several of his masterpieces, which are rightfully considered the pinnacle of architectural art. In fairness, it should be noted that out of 18 of his projects, seven were included by UNESCO in the list of World Heritage Sites!

1. House Vicens (1883-1885), the first project by Antoni Gaudi

Residence Vicens (Casa Vicens), the first independent creation of the architect, was created by order of the wealthy industrialist Manuel Vicens. The house is still the main decoration of Carolines Street (Carrer de les Carolines), considered the brightest and most unusual attraction in Barcelona, ​​which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

This house was built in the Art Nouveau style and forms a four-level architectural ensemble in which even the smallest details play an important role.

Since Gaudi was an adherent of natural motives and drew from them a source of inspiration, then every element of this unusual house was a reflection of his preferences.

Floral motifs are present everywhere, from the wrought iron fence, as well as the façade itself, to the interior. The most favorite image of the creator is yellow marigolds and palm leaves.

The structure of the Vicens house itself, including the elements of its decoration, speaks of the influence of oriental architecture. The decor of the entire unusual complex is made in the Moorish Mudejar style. It is clearly evident in the design of the Muslim turrets on the roof and in some of the details of the luxurious interior decoration.

2. Pavilions and the Guell estate (Pavellons Guell)

For Count Eusebi Guell, who after this grandiose project became not only the patron saint of the great master, but also a friend, Antoni Gaudi created an extraordinary estate, which is better known as the Guell pavilions (1885-1886).

Fulfilling the order of the count, the extraordinary architect not only carried out a complete reconstruction of a summer country estate with the ennobling of the park and the creation of stables and a closed arena, but united all these ordinary buildings so that they turned into a fabulous complex.

When creating these pavilions, Antonio was the first to use special technology- trenkadis, which consists in the use of pieces of ceramic or glass of irregular shape when facing the facade. Having covered the surfaces of all rooms with the same pattern in a special way, he achieved an amazing resemblance to the scales of a dragon.

3. City residence Guell (Palau Guell)

This fantastic project for his friend Antoni Gaudi in 1886-1888 is an unusual palace that the master managed to create on an area of ​​less than 400 square meters!

Knowing the main desire of the owner to amaze the elite of the city with the luxury of his home, the architect masterly developed a very unusual project, which made it possible to create a truly extraordinary and fabulously rich castle. In the style of which centuries-old traditions, innovative techniques and ideas were mixed, which he applied with the same success in subsequent complexes.

The main highlight of this palace, interesting from the architectural point of view, is the chimneys, which have the image of bright outlandish sculptures. Such splendor is achieved thanks to the facing with fragments of ceramics and natural stone.

The gables and the rooftop terrace, which is designed for spectacular walks, enthralls visitors with incredible views of the city and the "magic garden", created and amazing stove tubes.

4. Parc Guell

The unusual Park Guell (1903-1910) project was conceived in an effort to create a garden city, as opposed to the country's growing industrialization and protection from its dire consequences.

A huge plot was bought by the count for these purposes, but the townspeople did not support the author's idea and instead of 60 houses, only three exhibition copies were built. Over time, the city bought these lands and turned them into a recreation park, where the delightful gingerbread houses of the architect Antoni Gaudi flaunt.

Since an elite village was planned here, Gaudi created not only all the necessary communications, but also planned picturesque streets and squares. The most striking building was the Hall of 100 Columns, to which a special staircase leads, and on the roof there is a stunningly bright bench that completely envelopes the contours of the complex.

This garden city still delights its visitors with extraordinary architecture and decoration, it is also included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.

5. Casa Batlló

Casa Batlló (1904-1906) resembles an ominous figure of a dragon, which is faced with mosaic scales and is capable of changing its color depending on the time of day. As soon as it is not called - "house of bones", "dragon house", "yawning house".

And really looking at its strange balconies, grates for windows, pediments and roof resembling the back of a dragon, will get rid of the impression that these are the remains of a huge monster!

Creating a fantastic patio, to improve and uniform illumination, he achieved a play of chiaroscuro by laying out ceramic tiles in a special way - gradually passing from white to blue and blue.

According to tradition, he decorated the roof of the house with his outlandish chimney towers.

6. House of Mila - Pedrera (Casa Mila)

This is the last residential building created by the great architect. It is better known as "La Pedrera", which means "quarry". It is considered the most incredible residential building project not only in the whole of Barcelona, ​​but also in the world.

Initially, this creation of the master was not accepted and was considered complete madness. Incredibly, Antonio and the owner of this building were even fined for not adhering to existing urban planning regulations.

Over time, they got used to it and even began to consider it a genius creation, because during construction, without any calculations and projects, the architect managed to introduce technologies that were several decades ahead of time.
Only a hundred years later, a similar technology was developed by design institutes and began to be actively used in ultra-modern construction.

7. Cathedral of the Sagrada Familia (Temple Expiatori De La Sagrada Familia)

The last forty years of his life, the brilliant architect devoted to the realization of his most unrealistic fantasy - by enclosing the characters of parables and the basic commandments of the New Testament in stone.

Its design is dominated by surreal Gothic, the walls are decorated with images of saints and all sorts of creatures of God, from turtles, salamanders, snails and ending with the forest, starry sky and the entire universe.

The highest columns and unusual painting adorn the interior of the temple (Temple Expiatori De La Sagrada Familia).

However, the erection of such a large-scale cathedral continues to this day. Since the architect kept all the drawings and plans in his head, it took years to continue construction to make such complex calculations. Incredibly, only the NASA program, which calculates the trajectory of space projects, was able to cope with this task!

Thanks to extraordinary architects and in our time, unique buildings are created, which can be considered pretentious forms.

The unique architectural appearance of the capital of Catalonia was magically influenced by the work of the great master Gaudí. Architect Antoni Gaudi i Cornet (Antoni Gaudi i Cornet) was born on June 25, 1852 in the city of Reus, Catalan province of Tarragona. His parents were boiler workers, and the young genius often helped his father and grandfather, admiring the virtuoso work of their hands in the manufacture of copper items. In love with nature and observant Antonio, from childhood, he was attracted by the perfection of forms, the play of colors and lines. Love for everything natural found a way out in the work of Gaudi - the favorite materials of the master were stone, ceramics, wood and wrought iron.

There are 18 buildings in the architectural heritage of Gaudí, most of them are located in Barcelona, ​​defining the entire appearance of the city. He was in love with this city, spoke Catalan and drew inexhaustible inspiration for creativity from the culture of his people. Among the most famous works of Antoni Gaudí in Barcelona are Vicens House, Terezianoc School, Bellesguard House, Guell Palace, Casa Batlló, La Pedrera House, Park Guell and, of course, the Sagrada Familia.

The mysterious symbol of the city - the Sagrada Familia

The temple is the "trademark" of Barcelona, ​​the recognized symbol of the city. Its majestic towers make a truly unforgettable impression, the building itself is full of secrets and coded messages from Gaudí. But, perhaps, the main mystery of this masterpiece, which was conceived as a temple of atonement for sins, is its incompleteness.

The building was designed in the Gothic style, traces of it can be traced in the crypt and apse, but then the genius of improvisation changed the idea, experimenting with styles and creating his own unique architectural style. When creating the temple, Gaudi almost did not use drawings, he made sketches with his own hands, and therefore it took a lot of time to work. The architect worked on the Sagrada Familia temple for forty-three years without completing the construction. In 1926, he was killed when hit by a tram at the intersection of Gran Via and Bailen.

In 1936, Gaudi's workshops were burned down, and only 20 years later, work on the construction of the temple resumed, already in small pieces of photographs and sketches and, of course, without that magical improvisation that was inherent only to Gaudi. The construction of the cathedral continues to this day, steadily overcoming financial and other difficulties. The Sagrada Familia, located in the heart of the city at 401 Mallorca Street, attracts thousands of tourists every year who, admiring the grandeur of Gaudí's project, try to unravel its mystery ...

Casa Batllo in Barcelona

Casa Batlló ("Battle", Batllo » ) - one of the many masterpieces of Antoni Gaudi, an elegant example of the Art Nouveau style, so widespread in Catalonia at the beginning of the 20th century. Casa Batlló was built in 1904-1906 at 43 Paseo de Gracia. Gaudí reconstructed the house, applying his own corporate style: multicolored and sparkling mosaics, curved lines, expressive forms, quaint balconies, a fantastic roof with tiles in the form of fish scales.

The local name of the house is Casa dels ossos (House of Bones). It really recognizes the images of bones and internal organs some giant mysterious animal. The roof of the house is covered with arches, which creates associations with the back of a dragon. According to the generally accepted opinion, the rounded detail to the left of the center, ending with a turret with a cross, represents the sword of St. George the Victorious (St. George is the patron saint of Catalonia), thrust into the back of the dragon.

House Mila (Casa Mila, La Pedrera)

Mila House in Barcelona is one of the best examples architectural concept by Antoni Gaudi. To some, its facade resembles oncoming waves, and to others - a stone mountain with caves. The people of Barcelona jokingly call it La Pedrera (Quarry).

Gaudí drew inspiration from nature as he always did on the corner of the busy Paseo de Gracia and Rue Provença. The concept of modernity here is something alive, fluid, moving, you can distinguish between caves, the sea, the underwater world. The view from the rooftop to Barcelona is just as amazing, there are no railings, and the gardens and mysterious figures seem to hang over the abyss.

In 1984, the Mila house was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and today the last floor houses a museum dedicated to Antoni Gaudi, the rest of the floors are given over to luxury housing.

Park Guell

Another famous Gaudí project is Park Guell, located behind Lesseps Square, on Olot Street. The park was built from 1900 to 1914, but, unfortunately, like the Sagrada Familia, it was not finished.

The park, a joint project of Gaudi and the entrepreneur Güell, was a very promising idea: on the slope of one of the hills of the Barcelona plain, it was planned to build a green town for the rest of wealthy citizens. However, an economic crisis broke out, and construction had to be frozen. Gaudí was able to only partially make his dreams come true - one wall of the proposed park was built.

At the entrance to the park, you are greeted by two cozy "gingerbread" houses, made after the example of fortress towers, separated by spectacular iron gates (in one of these houses, Gaudi himself later settled). A staircase, decorated with sculptures of phantasmagoric animals covered with mosaics, leads upstairs, among them is the characteristic Gaudi lizard, a symbol of good luck and prosperity, found in almost every work of the master. The staircase leads to the spacious Hall of a Hundred Columns, the highlight of which is that the roof is at the same time a winding balcony, and the cornice of the colonnade is the back of a continuous bench that borders the entire upper square. One of the best views of the city opens up from here.

Park Guell is considered one of the works of Gaudí, where his imagination was most manifested. The house where the architect lived in 1906-1926 is now a museum named after him.

House Vicens

One of the first works of Antoni Gaudí is Vicens' house, which is located at 18-24 Carolinas Street. In 1878, a young entrepreneur, Manuel Vicens, commissioned the construction of his house at that time to the novice architect Antoni Gaudí. For reasons beyond his control, the construction was postponed for 5 years, and this was a salvation for the young Gaudi, who simply did not know how to design a house: the construction site was rather narrow, and it was necessary to build in a row of almost “ground-in” friend to friend buildings.

As a result, Gaudí's imagination could not fully roam, the house was built very simply, without frills and curved lines. To enliven the image, the architect decided to decorate the facade of the building using numerous bay windows and tiled decor. The base of the walls in natural stone has been complemented by a rough brick finish. However, the main attraction of the house was given by the colorful tiled decoration of walls and windows and an insane mixture of styles: Gaudí used techniques of different traditions, combining the incompatible, sculpting yellow flowers from tiles, installing Moorish turrets on the roof and decorating the garden with an art nouveau wrought-iron fence. The result is a fine example of modernism and a testament to the eternal genius of Antoni Gaudí.

If you are heading to Barcelona, ​​be sure to visit these sights, priceless heritage of Antoni Gaudí. Contact bytelephones Center of services for business and life in Spain "Spain in Russian" , and we will help you organize interesting individual or group excursions tounforgettable creations of Antoni Gaudi.

In the 70s of the 19th century, young Gaudi moved to Barcelona. After 5 years of preparatory courses, Gaudí was admitted to the Provincial School of Architecture, from which he graduated in 1878.

In 1870-1882, Antoni Gaudi worked as a draftsman, unsuccessfully participating in competitions. He studied crafts, doing many small jobs (fences, lanterns, etc.), and designing furniture for his own home.

At this time, an extraordinary flowering of the neo-Gothic style began in Europe, and the young Gaudi enthusiastically followed advanced ideas. The declaration "Decorativeness is the beginning of architecture" proclaimed by the followers of the neo-Gothic style fully coincided with the ideas of Gaudí, who over time developed his own, completely unique architectural style.

Gaudi architecture

At the beginning of his work, Gaudi, influenced by the architecture of Barcelona and the architect Martorell, builds his first buildings, richly decorated: "stylistic twins" - the elegant House Vicens () and the whimsical El Capriccio (Comillas, Cantabria); also the compromise House of Calvet (Barcelona) in a pseudo baroque style. At the same time, Gaudi was making a project in a restrained Gothic, even "serf" style - the School at the Monastery of St. Teresa (), as well as an unrealized project for the buildings of the Franciscan Mission in Tangier; neo-gothic episcopal palace in Astorga (Castilla, Leon) and Dom Botines (Leon).

A decisive role in the realization of Gaudí was played by the meeting of the architect with Eusebi Guell, with whom he became friends. This textile magnate, the richest man, not alien to aesthetic insights, could afford to order any dream, and Gaudí got what every creator dreams of: freedom of expression without looking back at the estimate.

Gaudí designs the pavilions of the estate in Pedralbes near Barcelona for the Guell family; wine cellars in Garraf, chapels and crypts of Colonia Guell (Santa Coloma de Cervelló); fantastic ().

Over time, Gaudi developed his own style, where there was not a single straight line. The construction of the Palau Guell made Gaudí the most fashionable architect in Barcelona, ​​soon becoming "an almost unaffordable luxury." For the bourgeois of Barcelona, ​​he built houses one more unusual than the other: a space that is born and develops, expanding and moving like living matter - the House of Mila; a living, quivering creature, the fruit of a whimsical fantasy - Casa Batlló.

Customers who were ready to throw out half of the fortune for construction initially believed in the genius of the architect, paving the way for a new path in architecture.

Death of Gaudi

Gaudí died at the age of 73. On June 7, 1926, he left home, setting off on his daily journey to the church of Sant Felip Neri, of which he was a parishioner. As he walked absentmindedly along Gran Via de las Cortez Catalanes between the streets of Girona and Baylen, he was hit by a tram and Gaudí lost consciousness.

The cabbies refused to take an unkempt, unknown old man without money and documents to the hospital, fearing non-payment for the trip. Still, Gaudi was taken to a hospital for the poor, where he was given only primitive medical care. Only the next day he was found and identified by the chaplain. By that time, Gaudi's condition had already deteriorated so much that the best treatment could not help him.

Gaudí died on June 10, 1926 and was buried two days later in the crypt of the cathedral he had not completed.

Gaudi architecture in Barcelona:

Casa Batlló y Casa Novas

Casa Batlló(cat. Casa Batlló), also called "House of Bones"- a residential building built in 1877 for the textile magnate Josep Batlló y Casanovas at , 43 in the district, and rebuilt by the architect Antoni Gaudí in 1904-1906.

Even before completing the construction work, Gaudí received an order to remodel a tenement house belonging to the family of the wealthy textile manufacturer Josep Batlló y Casanovas and located next to the modernist house of Amalje. The owner of the house intended to demolish the old building from 1875 and build a new one in its place, but Gaudí decided otherwise.

Casa Batlló architecture

Gaudí retained the original structure of the house, adjoining two adjacent buildings with side walls, but designed two new facades, the main one from the side, and the rear one inside the block. In addition, Gaudí completely redesigned the ground floor and mezzanine, making original furniture and adding a basement, attic and asotea (stepped roof terrace). Two light shafts have been combined into a single courtyard, which improves daylight and ventilation of the building. The idea of ​​giving the courtyard a special meaning, pioneered in Casa Batlló, was also used by Gaudí during construction Mila houses.

Many researchers of Gaudi's creativity admit that the reconstruction of Casa Batlló is the beginning of a new creative stage for the master: from this project, Gaudi's architectural projects will be built on the basis of his own vision, without regard to accepted norms and styles.

Features of Casa Batlló

A distinctive feature of Casa Batlló is the almost complete absence of straight lines in its architecture. The façade décor is made of cut stone from Barcelona's Montjuïc hill, as well as the interior décor - everything is done on the basis of wavy lines. Very differently interpreted appearance facade, but in general they agree that the main facade is an allegory for the dragon - Gaudi's favorite character, whose image was used in many of his creations. The victory of the patron saint of Catalonia, St. George over the dragon, can be an allegory of the victory of good over evil. The sword of St. George, thrust into the "dragon's backbone", is presented in the form of a turret crowned with a St. George's cross, the facade of the building depicts the sparkling "scales" of the monster and is strewn with the bones and "skulls" of its victims, which are guessed in the shapes of the mezzanine columns and balconies.

As is typical of Gaudí, every detail in the Casa Batlló is carefully thought out. Pay attention to the design of the light palace, where Gaudi created a special play of chiaroscuro. To achieve even illumination, the architect gradually changes the color of the ceramic cladding from white to light blue and blue, deepening it as he moves from bottom to top, topping out a real splash of azure in the finishes of the chimneys and ventilation pipes. For the same, the size of the windows overlooking the patio changes, which gradually decrease with height. The elegant attic of the house is based on the parabolic arches used by Gaudí and other projects.

Casa Batlló decor

All the decor of the house is made by the best craftsmen of applied arts. The forged elements were made by the blacksmiths, the Badia brothers, the stained-glass windows - by the glassblower Josep Pelegri, the tiles - by P. Pujol-i-Bausis son, other ceramic details were made by Sebastian-i-Ribot. The cladding of the main façade was completely finished in Manacor (Mallorca island). Furniture created by Gaudí in the interior design is now included in the collection in Park Guell.

Casa Batlló, together with the House of Amalle and the House of Lleo Morera, are part of "Quarter of Disagreement", named so because of the stylistic heterogeneity of the modernist buildings that form it.

In 1962, Casa Batlló was declared an Artistic Monument of Barcelona, ​​in 1969 - a monument of national importance, in 2005 it was included in the list.

Visit Casa Batlló in Barcelona:

• Website: www.casabatllo.es
• Opening hours: daily 9 - 19 (last entrance at 20:00)
• Directions: 7, 16, 17, 22, 24 and 28 Barcelona Tourist Bus (North & South) stop Casa Batlló - Fundació Antoni Tàpies. | Barcelona Tourist Bus (North & South) stop Casa Batlló - Fundació Antoni Tàpies. | Metro: Passeig de Gràcia: L2, L3 and L4.
• Audio guide - included in the ticket price. Available in Russian.
• Entrance:
  • adults: 21.5 €
  • students and pensioners> 65 years old: 18.5 €
  • 7 - 18 years old: 18.5 €
  • children under 7 years old - free
  • Night visit (21:00) - 29 €

Mila's house

At the corner with Carrеr de Prоvenca (Provença street) there is the main boulevard - Mila's house(Casa Milà, Provença, 261-265, Passeig de Gratia, 92). This building by Antoni Gaudi looks more like a sculpture than a piece of architecture.

House Mila architecture

The six-story house looks like a huge rock, its window and doorways resemble grottoes, wrought-iron balconies are made in the form of fantastic plants. The house is often called La Pedrera, that is, "Quarry". Gaudí built it in 1906-1910. for the richest family Mila; here were the living quarters of the owners, an office, and some of the apartments were rented out. Now, besides the bank CaixadeCatalunya, who allocated funds for the restoration of the building, the house houses the Gaudi Museum.

One of the apartments houses a kind of museum of the Art Nouveau era; note that there are no straight lines here! You can also climb the fantastic rooftop, where giant multi-colored chimney protrusions resemble medieval knights. It was on this roof that the famous film by M. Antonioni "Profession: Reporter" was filmed.

Religious motives in Gaudi architecture

The house was built on the site of the temple of the Virgin Mary of the 11th century, and therefore its entire appearance is imbued with religious motives. The building was to be crowned by a colossal figure of the Madonna (12 m) with angels - the entire building of Mila's house would have been perceived then as her grandiose pedestal. However, the Madonna was never installed due to the anti-church riots of the Tragic Week of 1909, when the crowd smashed and burned churches and monasteries. Religious symbolism is present in all of Gaudí's buildings; "The silent wave of the blue mountain" (as the English art critic D. Ruskin called the house of Mila) was supposed to capture "the soul of Catalonia2 and remind Montserrat monastery.

But it must be remembered that Gaudi intended to somewhat soften the impression of harsh power from this house - the residents had to decorate their balconies with creeping and hanging flowers, cacti, palm trees, thereby complementing the architecture and sculpture with living vegetation. The most important role in the construction of the Mila house was played by Gaudí's permanent assistant, J. Jujol, who designed the wrought-iron gratings of the building's balconies.

Visit Casa Mila in Barcelona:

• Mila's house is on the list
• Address: Provença, 261-265, Barcelona
• www.lapedrera.com
• Travel: Metro: L3 and L5 stop Diagonal. | buses: 7, 16, 17, 22, 24, 39 and V17. | FGC trains: Provença station | Barcelona Bus Turístic: stop Pg. de Gràcia-La Pedrera.
• Working hours:
• November - February: La Pedrera in the afternoon: daily 9 am - 6:30 pm, last admission 6 pm. The Secret Pedrera: Wednesday - Saturday 19 - 22:30, choice of tours and languages.
• March - October: La Pedrera by Day: hedgehog. 9 - 20, last entrance 19:30. The Secret Pedrera: the hedgehog. 20:30 - 0:00, choice of excursions and languages.
• Closed: 25 December and 1 week in January.
• Entrance: DAY: adults € 16.50, students: € 14.85 disabled: € 14.85, children (up to 6 years old inclusive): free, children 7 - 12 years old: € 8.25
• ENTRANCE IN THE EVENING: adults: 30 €, children 7-12 children: 15 €, children up to 6 years old inclusive - free of charge.

Sagrada Familia (Sagrada Familia)

It was one of the first buildings of his, which Antoni Gaudi built in 1886-1889. for its patron, the textile magnate Eusebio de Guell Bachigalupi. Probably, it was thanks to his close friendship with him that Gaudí managed to achieve unprecedented architectural perfection: Guell did not count the money that he allocated for Gaudí's buildings and their constant restructuring, he settled numerous legal problems, and as a result, Gaudí became in fact a family architect Guell. He built everything for them - from the clothes drying equipment on the roof of the city house, and the mansion, and the church, and the whole park.

The architect and the industrialist had many things in common: they both came from the surrounding area, both were fanatical patriots. Be sure to go to the palace; You are unlikely to be left indifferent by fireplaces, weathercocks in the form of bats, parabolic arches, neo-Byzantine living rooms, spear columns on the second floor, multi-colored ceramic chimneys on the roof (according to legend, in order to achieve the desired effect, Gaudí smashed items of an extremely expensive Limoges service).

The interior of the palace Guell

The decoration of the rooms was fabulously expensive - carved rosewood and oak ceilings are decorated with overlaid leaves of gold and silver, inlaid with ivory and tortoiseshell; candlesticks were attached to the marble walls. Some art historians believe that the drawing of the mansion resembles a plan in; others note similarities to Babylonian ziggurats. The mansion was the ceremonial official residence of Guell - even before the completion of construction work, Queen Regent Maria Cristina visited it here.

In the 1880s, when construction was in progress Palace Guell, the southeastern side was considered unsuitable for fashionable life - this evil area was then called Chinatown and was teeming with prostitutes, alcoholics, syphilitics; it was here that the French writer Jean Genet lived, creating his "Diary of a Thief" - a chronicle of the life of the Barcelona "bottom". Now this area is inhabited mainly by immigrants from Latin America and is still considered the slum of Barcelona. By the way, if you want to live close to the center of Barcelona and very cheap, and you are not too scrupulous, then this place will be ideal - many cheap restaurants around, just a stone's throw ...

Visit the Guell Palace in Barcelona

• Palau Güell
• Address: Carrer Nou de la Rambla, 3-5
• Tel: +34 934 72 57 75
• Working hours:
• Open Tuesday to Sunday, both days.
  • Summer opening hours (from April 1 to October 31): from 10 am to 8 pm (ticket offices close at 7 pm)
  • Winter opening hours (November 1 to March 31): from 10 am to 5:30 pm (ticket offices close at 4:30 pm)
  • Day off: Monday, excluding holidays, December 25 and 26, January 1 and January 6 to 13 (for preventive maintenance)

• entrance:
  • adults: 12 €
  • other options:
  • An audio guide is included in the ticket price.
• Buy a ticket to Vadrez Guell:
  • Tickets can be purchased at the ticket offices of the Palais Guell, located on st. Nou de la Rambla, no. 1, 20 meters from the main entrance to the Palais Guell. Tickets can also be bought in advance for a specific time and date.