When you think of an artist in Barcelona naturally the only name that should come to mind is Antoni Gaudí. His influence has been clear and manifest within the city. When you walk through the streets you can easily find his marvellous works. Gaudí was a revolutionary and now we will talk a little more about his characteristic and revolutionary style.
The influence of nature in Gaudi’s work is the most remarkable element. It is present in all his works. When you look at the Casa Milà, what stands out most about its façade are the undulating forms of it, clearly inspired by the waves of the sea. Its chimneys with their curvilinear and unconventional shapes.
Casa Batlló, with its interior inspired by the sea and its shapes adapted to the natural norm, is also a clear example. Similarly, the interior of the Sagrada Familia is like an enchanted forest in which the columns branch off as if they were trees and the light enters the basilica through celestial stained glass windows, creating a heavenly atmosphere inside the temple.
The clearest example of the influence of Mother Nature in Gaudí’s work, however, is Park Güell. In it, the architect sought to exalt nature in each of his creations. He sought to represent the most primitive forms and how nature grows through geometric shapes. He sought to exalt life through colour and form.
Gaudí’s influences ranged from oriental art to neo-gothic. But undoubtedly the style that most influenced him was Gothic art. In it he saw an art to be perfected, as he quotes.
“Gothic art is imperfect, it is half resolved; it is the style of the compass, of the formula of industrial repetition. Its stability is based on the permanent propping up of the buttresses: it is a defective body that is supported by crutches. (…) Proof that Gothic works are of deficient plasticity is that they produce the most emotion when they are mutilated, covered with ivy and illuminated by the moon”.
Gaudí
For all these reasons, whenever we see a Gaudí building, it is best to let ourselves be carried away and be transported to nature with each of its nuances and elements. Enjoy the work of the genius and feel happy to have it so close to us.
BY Raúl Bargondia
Transpose 