(1852-1926)
Spanish architect and crafts artist
Antoni Gaud I Cornet studied and practiced architecture in Barcelona, Spain. He was influenced by the romantic movement "La Renaixena Catalan" and in 1890 he proceeded to Modernismo, the Catalan version of Art Nouveau and Jugendstil.
One of his first commissions was the project management and construction in 1883 of the cathedral "La Sagrada Familia" in Barcelona.
First started in gothic style, the structure was later designed and built with great artistic freedom, in order to seem an organic part of nature. Very religious, Gaud took on this huge visionary work all his life, but the cathedral remained unfinished after his death.
In 1885, he collaborated with textile manufacturer Eusebio Guell, who will later become his friend and his patron, as he commissioned him to build the Guell house and gardens.
Influenced by Art Nouveau, Gaud wanted to realize a major utopia, which he described as an architecture without square angles. His modernist buildings, furniture and crafts objects are fascinating for their unusual structural forms, covered by multi-colored mosaics.
His works were symbols of artistic renewal and experimentation, characterized by mauresque elements or bizarre ornamental details. Very popular today, the style of Gaud was very different from the works of his contemporaries and had a provocative approach, which caused incomprehension toward his work during his lifetime.
Major works:
La Sagrada Familia Cathedral, Barcelona, Spain (1889-1926)
Palacio Guell, Barcelona (1885-1889)
Parco Guell, Barcelona (1900-1914)
Casa Mila (la Pedrera), Barcelona (1905-1907)
