What does it take to make a genius like him? Is it the combination of a great architect and artist, or maybe a sound engineer and artist? Antoni Gaudí i Cornet was a unique architect, engineer and artist altogether. Born in Riudoms / Reus in 1852, he became also a deeply mystical man and a genuine Catalan patriot .
As a good observer of nature, he was highly inspired by its geometry, shapes and colours. Gravity was the key to his hanging parabolic experiments , a structure made out of ropes and lead bullets filled sacs.
His organic structures came to life thanks to the usage of new materials while recycling also all kinds of waste materials: a true master and innovator, way ahead of the anthroposophist and ecologist movements or the first collage artists.
Back then, he was the only one to disregard two-dimensional conventional drawings for their lack of accuracy and implemented instead three-dimensional plaster models which, helped by a series of mirror effects, became the first step ever in three dimensional construction drawing , such as nowadays' modern computer-made virtual projects in 3D.
Antoni Gaudí, a humble looking man and still single, was taken in an accident under the wheels of a street tram in 1926 and, being taken for a burglar, died unattended in a corner of a hospital three days later. His burial ceremony was followed by thousands of Barcelonans.
His most popular projects were built mainly in the city and its surroundings. Here there are some outstanding ones:
The temple of La Sagrada Familia,
Park Güell, Casa Milà, Casa Batlló,
Palau Güell, Crypt of the Colònia Güell,
Bellesguard, Casa Vicens,
The Santa Teresa School, Finca Güell,
Casa Calvet and Celler Güell.
The building of la Sagrada Familia is not a cathedral, and not even a church: it's the building site of an expiatory temple . Gaudí always referred to this project as a religious building or temple, and not as a church. And so can be read its official name on any board or sign, in and around the building premises. Started in 1882, the very Buffalo Bill came with his circus to town in his European tour just two years after the first stone was laid: this coincidence gives us an idea of how long ago we can find the building works already in full progress!!
It was always called Expiatory because of its original goal: to let sinner men and women pay off their sins -as others do while practising charity- to get rid of guilty feelings. Nowadays, though, most of the foundation's income, increasingly growing, is due to the visitors' entrance fees. This growth makes completion plans being as short as 20 years to come.
At the present time 150 people � among which 20 architects- are working steadily.And it was named Temple because of its ecumenical or holistic concept. Although its main cult and symbology are rather catholic �the only religion permitted by law until just some decades ago-, there's also evidence of Jewish
symbols that transcend the Old Testament and seem hard to be found in churches elsewhere. Besides that, both Gaudí and the Sagrada Famila Foundation had planned to assign a part of the cult timetable for believes other than Christian.
Antoni Gaudí encompasses three different architecture styles in this project: neo-gothic , organic structure and cubism . The old façade or Nativity gate shows what he had been able to build before he passed away. The little museum under the temple is definitely worth seeing: getting to know the architect's ideas is highly refreshing for anyone.
The Nativity façade was almost completed when Gaudí died in 1926 and, therefore, is the most authentic one. With a strong plastic impact, it is presided by three massive parabolic arches covered by stalactites and supported by two tall palm-tree looking pillars . This monument to the triumph of life was created thanks to the collaboration of several sculptors: Matamala senior & junior, Carles Mani and since three decades, the Japanese Etsuro Sotoo , who gave to all the angels Asian looking faces.
Seagulls, ducks, chameleons and even a pelican help to adorn this somewhat baroque display of living creatures.
The Apse shows some most peculiar gargoyles representing amphibians, snails and reptiles, as if it were a homage paid to Darwin, trespassed the same year that the construction started -right underneath it- with the Crypt, where Gaudí was later buried.
Although Gaudí designed the Passion façade , it could never be seen by him for it was only started in the fifties.
This dramatic representation of death is deprived of any colourful adornments in order to focus the attention on the different chronological steps describing Jesus' passion: six sequoia trunks and their corresponding roots hold up a large portico covered by a gallery of giant femur bones -acting as pillars- and crowned with cubist metallic structures.
The sculptures inside the portico, very roughly described by a sombre original Gaudí sketch -lacking most of the needed information in order to reproduce it-, were assigned to the Catalan sculptor Josep Maria Subirachs . This controversial version seems to stand apart from Gaudí's streamline of curved shapes and organic forms due to its contemporary look: negative volumes, sharp edges and totally angled and schematic appearance.
Adjacent to the Passion façade we can still enjoy the view of an astonishing schools building , built by Gaudí in 1909, which triggered the master's creativity to the limit: with almost no cost, the undulated walls and ceiling are an incredible example of organic simplicity and beauty never seen before elsewhere.
The aim was to give some tuition to the poor children of the area.
The main or Glory façade , still in construction, will be the most monumental and impressive one: a playful combination of tilted and straight tall columns will support a heavenly ensemble composed by 16 most unusual looking lanterns embraced by numerous clouds of trencadís .
In front of it a bridge will link the main entrance to the park-to-be across the street with steps on top of an underpass for traffic.
The Towers you can see nowadays are only eight but, once completed, they will be eighteen and all of them much taller than the current ones: over 500 feet high. Visible from any point in Barcelona, with their extraordinary shape and dimensions cutting through the city sky-line, they exceed in majesty any other Christian temple built so far.
The twelve bell towers will host 60 giant tubular bells, on top of the winding staircases inspired by snail shells. The spiralling tilted openings will send the music down to the street level.
The building's magnificent Central Nave is supported by tree-like pillars holding a solid canopy letting the light through, like in a natural wood, and is inspired by the principle of the fractals . Since an earthquake could severely damage the audacious structure, the columns stand on the cross points of a huge underground grill of concrete solid galleries. These unique pillars, built out of sandstone, granite, basalt and porphyry, grow branches -like a natural tree- out of most unusual capitals. Outside, on top of the nave, most peculiar looking pinnacles show nothing but all kinds of colourful fruits.
Surrounded by amazingly appealing stain glass effects � by Catalan artist Joan Vila Grau - and most unexpected shapes and materials, any visitor agrees about the monumental spirituality and grandeur of the construction.
This visit is a must: don't miss it!!