Guell architect. Antonio Gaudi and his famous houses. The love of botany created an architect

The style of architectural creativity of Antonio Gaudi is usually attributed to the Art Nouveau trend. But you can see that in the projects of his creations, the architect used individual features of many other styles. At the same time, each of them was rethought, and the architect took only those elements that he considered acceptable for his buildings.

The personality remains mysterious and incomprehensible, despite the huge amount of information about the life and work of this genius. It would seem that what's new can be said about a person who has bathed in glory and luxury all his life, not knowing how to count money and completely devoting himself to creativity? So why did Antonio die alone, in extreme poverty and oblivion? The answer to this question is, alas! - is not known to anyone.

Buildings of Gaudí

Among the famous buildings of the brilliant architect, starting from his earliest works, the following can be distinguished:

• (built in 1883 - 1888) - Casa Vicens - the residential building of the Manuel Vicens family, one of the first major orders of Gaudí.

• El Capriccio, Comillas(Cantabria) (built in 1883 - 1885) - Capricho de Gaudi - the summer residence of Maximo de Quijano, Marquis de Comillas, who was a relative of Eusebio Güell - one of the architect's main customers. This mansion was built for the heir of the marquis.

• , Pedralbes in Barcelona (built in 1884 - 1887) - unique buildings on the territory of one of the most prestigious areas of Catalonia, built in the style of rich Cuban estates.

• Palace Güell in Barcelona (built in 1886 - 1889) - Palau Guell - the residential building of the wealthy industrialist Eusebio Güell, one of Gaudí's early works. The palace contains the features of a Venetian palazzo, mixed with a share of eclecticism.

• in Barcelona (built in 1888 - 1894) - Collegi de las Teresianes - special educational institution, a college for girls who would become nuns in the future. Today it is one of the main attractions of Catalonia.

• Bishop's Palace in Astorga, Castile (Leon) (built in 1889 - 1893) - Palacio Episcopal de Astorga - a palace near the city of Leon, built by order of Bishop Joan Bautista Grau y Vallespinos.

• in Leon(built in 1891 - 1892) - Casa de los Botines - a residential building with storage facilities in Leon, built in the Art Nouveau tradition with the addition of individual elements.

• Expiatory Church of the Holy Family in Barcelona (1883 - the work was not completed by the architect). Certainly when we are talking about the work of Antonio Gaudí, the first thing that comes to mind is one of the most ingenious and bizarre buildings widely known throughout the world - this is the Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona. Among Catholics, the name of the temple sounds like "Temple Expiatori de la Sagrado Familia".

• (the project was developed in 1892 - 1893, but the mission was not built) - a small project of the architect, which was never brought to life. In planning the future construction, Gaudí completely abandons traditions.

• , Garraf (built in 1895 - 1898) - Bodegas Guell - an architectural complex in Sitges, consisting of two buildings - the entrance room and the cellar itself. The building was commissioned by the same industrialist Eusebio Güell.

• House Calvet in Barcelona(built in 1898 - 1900) - Casa Calvet - the residential building of the widow of the manufacturer Pere Martir Calvet y Carbonel, which was originally designed as an apartment building. In such buildings, the lower floors and basements are reserved for commercial establishments, the owners themselves live on the middle floors, and the rooms above are rented out to guests. To date, the house of Calvet is one of the attractions of Barcelona.

• Crypt of Colonia Güell, Santa Coloma de Cervelo (1898 - 1916) - a chapel built on the territory of the settlement of textile factory workers Eusebio Güell. A wealthy industrialist in his colony wanted to build a school, a hospital, and a church for his workers. It was with the construction of the crypt that the implementation of the project began. However, things did not go further, and the church itself remained unfinished.

• Figueres house on Bellesguard street in Barcelona (1900 - 1902) - Casa Figueras or Bellesguard Tower - a beautiful house topped with towers, built by order of the merchant's widow Maria Sages. The customer wanted to build a new beautiful building on her land, and Antonio Gaudi fully coped with this task.

• Park Guell in Barcelona(1900 - 1914) - Parque Guell - a garden and park complex with residential areas with a total area of ​​just over 17 hectares, built in the upper part of Barcelona.

• (1901 - 1902) - Finca Miralles - the gate for the house of the manufacturer Miralles, built in the form of a fancy sea shell and harmoniously fit into the arched opening.

• Villa Catllaras, La Pabla de Lilliet(built in 1902) is a country house in Spain, designed by a talented architect. The uniqueness of the building is visible even on the drawing - no one had done anything like this before Gaudi.

• Artigas Gardens in fronthighlands of the Pyrenees(1903 - 1910) - Can Artigas gardens in Pobla de Lillet (Pobla de Lillet) - magnificent buildings within the garden and park complex located at the foot of the Pyrenees at a distance of 130 km from Barcelona.

For a long time, this pearl of Gaudí's architectural creativity remained unknown to the whole world, but in the early 70s of the XX century, the gardens were discovered, put in order and opened to tourists. Since then, the gardens of Can Artigas have been one of the attractions of Spain, as well as a unique example.

• Warehouses of the Blacksmith's Artel of Badia(1904) - were designed by order of José and Luis Badio - the owners of blacksmith workshops, in which Gaudi ordered forged metal parts to decorate his architectural projects.
• (was built in 1904 - 1906) - Casa Batllo - the residential building of Josep Batllo y Casanovas, a wealthy textile magnate, rebuilt by Gaudí according to his own design.

• Reconstruction of the Cathedral to Palma de Mallorca(1904 - 1919) - Catedral de Santa Maria de Palma de Mallorca - in this Catholic cathedral Antonio Gaudi carried out restoration and decorative work commissioned by Bishop Campins.

• (1906-1910) - the residential house of the Mila family, the last secular work of Gaudí, after which he fully devotes himself to the creation of the temple of the Atonement of the Holy Family. Casa Mila is also one of the most important sights of the capital of Catalonia.

• parochial school at the Church of the Atonement of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona(1909 - 1910) - Escjles de la Sagrada Familia - originally a school for the children of workers involved in the construction of the Sagrada Familia, was planned as a temporary building. Subsequently, after the construction of the cathedral was completed, they wanted to demolish the school. But the building turned out to be so expressive and unique that it still stands not far from the cathedral.

The architectural work of Gaudi is not only multifaceted and interesting. It represents a truly rich heritage for all generations of future architects to learn from these unique buildings and create their own masterpieces.

Gaudí is an outstanding Catalan architect who created many famous buildings in Barcelona. World history knows not so many architects who have so strongly influenced the views of their cities and created something so significant for their national culture. Gaudí is the most famous architect in Spain. His work marked the peak of Spanish Art Nouveau. A feature of his style is that the sources of the architect's fantasies were natural forms (trees, clouds, animals, rocks). It was nature that primarily determined the work of the sculptor and architect Gaudí in solving various problems, both artistic and constructive.

The architect did not like closed spaces, as well as geometrically correct forms. Therefore, he fundamentally refused straight lines. He believed that a straight line is a product of man, while a circle is a product of God. Therefore, Antonio Gaudi used only curved surfaces, creating his own original style. The architect Gaudi and his houses are known far beyond the borders of Catalonia and Spain.

Life and work of Gaudí

The architect was born on June 25, 1852, not far from Barcelona. His family belonged to the dynasty of hereditary masons. In 1868 he moved to Barcelona and there in 1873-78. studied at the Higher Technical School of Architecture, and also mastered various crafts (blacksmithing, carpentry, etc.) in the workshop of E. Punti.

In 1870-82. was engaged in the implementation of applied orders (sketches of lanterns, fences, etc.) in the workshop of F. Villar and E. Sala. His first building, which can be considered independent (the fountain on the Catalan square in 1877), demonstrated the brightness and quirkiness of Gaudí's imagination.

Antonio Gaudi tragically died on 06/07/1926 in Barcelona. He was hit by a tram not far from the Sagrada Familia. The architect at the end of his life behaved strangely, walked in an untidy form, so he was brought to a hospital for the poor, in which he died. Buried in the Sagrada Familia.

The origins of the architect's own style

IN Western Europe at that moment neo-gothic reigned. In his youth, Gaudí adhered to the ideas of such neo-Gothic representatives as the French architect Viollet-le-Duc (the largest restorer of Gothic temples in the 19th century, who restored, in particular, Notre Dame Cathedral) and the English art historian John Ruskin, author of the article “Decorativeness is the beginning architecture”, which completely coincided with the thoughts of Gaudi himself and for many years was the code of his work. However, he was most influenced by Catalan Gothic, which combined European and Moorish motifs in an interesting way. It is this combination that permeates the architecture of Antonio Gaudi.

This building was built in 1880-83. During its construction, the architect applied the polychrome effects characteristic of ceramic cladding. The buildings of Gaudí, built in his "mature" period, are distinguished by the use of this technique. This house by Gaudi was built for the owner of the ceramics factory, M. Vicens, and looked like a fairy-tale palace. In an effort to realize the desire of the building’s customer, the industrialist Vicens, to see the “kingdom of ceramics” in this house, the architect used iridescent multi-colored majolica tiles to cover the walls, decorated the ceilings with stucco “stalactites”, and installed fancy gazebos and lanterns in the courtyard.

The residential building itself and the buildings in the garden made up a wonderful architectural ensemble, for the creation of which Gaudi for the first time tested his subsequently crowning techniques: ceramic decoration in large quantities, plastic flowing forms, bold combinations of elements of different styles, contrasts of dark and light, vertical and horizontal elements. and so on.

In 1891, the architect received an order for a new cathedral in Barcelona - a temple (that is, the temple of the "Holy Family"). This building was the maximum manifestation of his imagination. Realizing the great importance of this building as a symbol of the entire national revival of Catalonia, Gaudí completely concentrated on its construction from 1910, placing his own workshop here.

The style of the cathedral is similar to Gothic, but contains something new, more modern. This building can accommodate a choir with 1,500 singers, 5 organs, and a children's choir of 700 people. The cathedral was to become a major center of Catholicism. Its construction was supported by the then Pope Leon the 13th.

Although Gaudi was engaged in the construction of this temple for 35 years, he managed to build and decorate only the Nativity facade, which in a constructive sense represents the eastern part of the transept, with 4 towers above it, while the western part of the apse, which makes up most of the entire monumental cathedral , remains unfinished to this day. The construction of the Sagrada Familia continues to this day.

Casa Batlló

This is one of Gaudí's most famous buildings, built in 1904-06. and became the fruit of his original fantasy, which had a purely literary origin. The house is the epitome of the story of St. George slaying the dragon. The 2 lower floors resemble the skeleton of a dragon, the wall - dragon skin, the roof with a peculiar pattern - a dragon spine. On the roof there is a small tower and chimneys, which have various intricate shapes. They are finished with ceramics and combined into several groups.

The project masterfully used color harmony and plasticity of the material. The sculptural decoration of the building looks like it consists of living forms that are frozen for only a moment. The completion of this decor is the design of the roof, which resembles a dragon's back.

Among the architectural masterpieces of Gaudi is (1906-10) - the famous building of the Art Nouveau style, which was nicknamed "La Pedrera" (i.e. "quarry") because of its quirkiness. It is a 6-storey apartment building located on the corner, with 2 courtyards and 6 light wells.

The whole building as a whole and each individual apartment in it have a curvilinear complex layout. Initially, the architect tried to make each internal partition curved, but later he had to abandon this idea and give them a broken shape that creates a contrast with the wavy facade. For Casa Mila, new solutions were used in terms of construction: the absence of load-bearing internal walls, the support of interfloor ceilings by external walls and columns, the important structural significance of balconies.

Barcelona is considered one of the most most beautiful cities peace. In many ways, Barcelona owes this fact to the architect Antonio Gaudi. His unusual, shocking and controversial creations attract tourists from all over the world to Barcelona. People break away from the pleasures of doing nothing, all inclusive and the nearest beach to walk the Rambla, climb Montjuïc, walk wide-eyed through Parc Güell, escape the heat in the Gothic Quarter of the old part of Barcelona...and of course with their own eyes see the Sagrada Familia, the quaint houses of Mila and Batlo.

In this note, I want to talk about the difficult fate of the architect Antonio Gaudi, about his style and creations. There are now 14 architectural buildings of Gaudí in Barcelona. The houses that he built to order are not tourist attractions, but a place for people to live, simply residential buildings. To this day, people live in them, often organizing museums in some rooms. About the creations of Gaudí in Barcelona wrote here .

Who is Antonio Gaudi?

The name Gaudi is shrouded in a veil of mystery. Probably the first thing that makes it difficult to understand his work is the mystery inherent in all geniuses. He did not leave any notes and diaries, he had no close friends (except for Eusebe Güell). Everything we know about Gaudi is connected with his works and creativity, and his personal life is covered in darkness.

Antonio Gaudi was born in the Catalan city of Reus, located about 40 kilometers from Barcelona. In the family of a blacksmith and a simple housewife, a child was born almost every year, but they all died in infancy. Little Antonio was also very ill, his mother was preparing for the worst. But everything worked out.

By the way, in Reus built a magnificent modern center dedicated to the work of Antonio Gaudí, you can read about it here.

However, little Antonio suffered from rheumatic pain in his legs, so he spent most of his time at home. Gaudí's problem with his legs went away only during his student days, so he enjoyed walking around the city in every possible way.

Little Gaudi compensated for the inability to run and play in the yard with diligence in his studies. Until the age of 11, Gaudí studied at home. His illiterate mother taught her son to write and read, and his father taught him to draw, in which the young genius succeeded. However, the boy's mind was not satisfied with the knowledge that his parents gave, so Gaudi began to attend school. The teachers did not really like the boy for his obstinate character. He was not afraid to argue and express his point of view. For example, in response to the teacher's phrase that birds have wings so that they can fly, Gaudí stated that poultry also has wings, but just to run fast.

Another ailment that tormented the architect was the mysterious disease of too rapid aging. For example, the famous and one of the few portraits of Gaudí was made at the age of 26. Is it really hard to believe that this man is only 26?

At school, Antonio Gaudi became famous for his drawings, which were first published in the school magazine El Harlequin. After that, he was already entrusted with decorating the stage of the school theater. But the real passion of the talented boy was architecture.

After leaving school, at the age of 17, Gaudí left his native Reus for Barcelona. He got a job as a draftsman in the city's architectural office and enrolled in courses at the University of Barcelona, ​​which studied architecture. For 5 whole years, the architect comprehended the mysteries of science, diligently pored over books and drawings. In parallel, Gaudi entered the Provincial School of Architecture, where he was the best student.

The Gaudi family never had enough money, especially since Gaudi's younger sister was already growing up. The work of a draftsman did not bring the architect a large number money, he lived on the verge of poverty, so he avoided companies and parties in every possible way.

Gaudí's first victory as a professional came in 1870. He managed to win the tender of the old monastery in Poblet for the processing of the personal coat of arms of the abbot of the monastery. The coat of arms was Gaudí's first project. Besides, they paid well for it.

At the Gaudi Institute, he earned the fame of either a genius or a madman. He passed all subjects with 5, but he turned all conceptual questions into heated discussions with teachers, for which he grabbed deuces.

Sometimes Gaudí protested against the "template" canons in drawings. Once, while working on the architecture of the city cemetery, he drew a hearse in the center with all the details. When asked why, he said that he wanted to convey the atmosphere of the cemetery and add air to the drawing.

Looking ahead, it is worth recalling that Gaudi rarely made his further projects with drawings. He personally supervised the construction, but at the same time, each object struck unusual design and deep engineering thought and functionality. He could easily destroy an already almost completed building and start remodeling it on the go, without drawings and approvals from customers. He did not care at all about their opinion, because only he knows how it will be better.

Gaudi was a prominent representative of the modernist movement, using natural motifs in his interiors and facades. He always paid attention to detail, did everything so that people feel comfortable in the buildings he created.

During his student years, Gaudi completed several projects for Barcelona, ​​which remained on the drawings. These were the gates for the city cemetery, a hospital and a pier for ships.

Finally, Gaudi received the first public order and designed a lantern for Barcelona.

In 1878, Antonio Gaudí became the owner of a diploma in architecture. From that moment began new stage his life.

Antonio Gaudí - architect of Barcelona

Gaudí loved Barcelona very much. He dreamed of reviving the old Gothic forms of his beloved Barça. One of the idols of Gaudí was the architect Violey-le-Duc, who wrote a book about the Gothic cathedrals of France. Gaudí went to see him in Carcassonne to get an opinion on his own ideas.

I must say that Gaudi did not stop arguing with society, he claimed that he knew the truth. He refused to build according to the canons of architecture imposed on him, shouting: “Let someone else build then, not me!”.

By this time, he began to earn some money and strove to look more successful than he actually was.

And they believed him, although he often could not give an explanation for his ideas. His projects each time amazed customers with their absurdity, but after a while, people appreciated the comfort that Gaudi was able to create and the beauty that must first be seen.

A tourist who has arrived in Barcelona can say that he does not understand the genius of Gaudi, he does not like these gingerbread houses at all. So every fool can.

In order not to be such a tourist, it is worth understanding the main thing - everything that Gaudi built was needed for something. He was worried about engineering communications, problems of light and air in the premises. It is now that the architect-designer does not have to puzzle over how to make the ventilation in the rooms, and Gaudi had to come up with all this. He was looking for new forms. How to make arches more graceful and columns thinner? And so that all this stands for centuries.

Our reviews and a lot of practical information about sights, shopping and holidays in Barcelona can be read here .

Antonion Gaudí and religion

For many years, Gaudí was a notorious skeptic. He did not visit temples, although he made projects for them. He just didn't believe in God. However, something made him turn into a deeply pious person. According to one version, he was pushed to God by the death of his mother at a fairly young age.

Acquaintance of Gaudi with Güell

Surely many have heard of the unusual Park Guell in Barcelona? So, this park is named after real person, patron of the architect and customer of this strange park.

According to one version, Güell found Gaudí at the Paris exhibition in 1878, where the architect presented his project for the working village of Mataro in the Spanish pavilion. The village remained only on paper, but Gaudi managed to excite the public, who was fond of the Art Nuovo style fashionable in Europe.

Another version tells that Gaudi, after receiving his diploma, grabbed any job in order to earn an extra penny. Once he had to deal with the design of a glove store, where Guell saw him. He asked to be introduced to the young man, asked a few questions and invited the architect to his home.

This acquaintance determined further fate Antonio Gaudi. Güell became a true friend and philanthropist who sincerely appreciated the work of Gaudí. He was able to earn enough money in the textile industry and understood that the best investment for money was real estate. With the exception of the Park Güell project, the patron has always been in the black. Therefore, he enjoyed looking at the sketches that Gaudí brought and successfully converted them into long-term projects.

Eusebio Güell became for the great master not only the most important customer and even patron, but also a good, faithful friend. From the day they met and for 35 years, until the death of the patron, the architect designed and created great creations for the Guell family, which can still be seen in Barcelona. The great Gaudi created everything you need - from household utensils and household items, to chic mansions and recreation parks with a unique sophistication and imagination, characteristic only of the master himself.

Güell was a textile tycoon and one of the richest people in Catalonia and could afford to order and personify any dream, while Gaudi, at the same time, could express himself and create without prohibitions and borders, without thinking about expenses.

Güell himself was a very educated person, and, among other things, he and Gaudi were brought together by a love of art and general interest to the poet Verdaguer, who created the great masterpiece "Atlantis", which became the anthem of the past Catholic patriotism. Also, both great masters of their craft were truly patriots of their homeland and their common political views were reflected in some architectural buildings. One of these personifications of the inner spiritual world Gaudi and Güell is a palace in Barcelona, ​​which even now never ceases to delight visitors with its graceful and unique look.

Gaudi spoke of Guell as a gentleman and seigneur, with high manners and an unusually sensual person who does not brag about his condition, but manages it very wisely. The architect also greatly appreciated in his trustees the fact that he did not limit him in financial matters during the work, and he had the opportunity to calmly sculpt his works of architectural art from expensive materials - marble, gems and other expensive materials. Only Güell's secretary, Raymond Campamar, always treated his master's rash spending with a slight distrust, but these were only his personal fears.

For the Güell family, Gaudí completed many projects, including:

• Pavilions and mansions in Pedralbes, near Barcelona;
• Wine cellars in Garraf;
• Chapels and interesting crypts of Santa Coloma de Cervelho;
• The stunning beauty of Park Guell in Barcelona;
• The Guell estate ensemble, created in 84-87 of the 19th century, was one of the master's distinctive buildings;
• Also worth noting is the curvilinear bench of the Hall of a Hundred Columns;
• House Calvet;
• Monastery of St. Teresa;
• House-museum of the architect;
• And most importantly, and majestic creation - the life work of the great master - the Sagrada Familia Cathedral, which is a symbol of Barcelona.

Cathedral of the Sagrada Familia (Sagrada Familia)

The Sagrada Familia Church was the life work of the great architect Gaudí, to whom he devoted the rest of his days. The history of this building began in 1883, when, according to the idea of ​​the Barcelona authorities, the cathedral began to be built and designed by Francisco de Villara. De Villar conceived this church in neo-gothic style. True, he managed to build only one crypt under the apse, and then the project was transferred to Gaudi in 91 of the same 19th century.

Gaudi devoted 43 years of his life to the cathedral and created the building in his own style, unlike any of the directions invented by the great masters. Antonio Gaudi in the entire history of architecture is aloof from everyone, since he did not exist, and has no equal, even today, when the temple has not been completed to the end. No one has yet been found who could understand the idea of ​​the artist and his goal and complete the work of his life.

The Cathedral of the Holy Family was conceived by the architect as the embodiment of the New Testament in life and all the stucco of the facade was supposed to convey the life and deeds of Christ on Earth. Gaudí did not deviate from his principles here either and did not invent anything in advance, but brought his ideas to life as they arose during the work. To do this, he was constantly present at construction sites, and fully controlled the entire process.

In order to be closer to his offspring, Antonio moved into one of the rooms of the future Cathedral, and sometimes, his ideas went skewed with his own past ideas. After that, the builders had to break one and build something new, which Gaudí had just come up with. This is how the amazing Cathedral began to slowly grow and rise above all the houses of Barcelona, ​​​​which amazed all the inhabitants with its forms and architectural sculptures in those days and continues to amaze the views of visitors from all over the world today.

According to Gaudí's idea, the church was supposed to look like three facades with the same design, which should adorn the four curvilinear towers. As a result, there should be 12 towers, each of which symbolizes one of the apostles, and the facades were supposed to personify the life of Christ - "Nativity", "Passion of Christ" and "Resurrection".

But, sadly, even after so many years of construction, Gaudi managed to bring to life only part of his ideas, and he managed to present to the eyes of the citizens only one "Christmas" facade - the eastern part of the Cathedral. As well as four of its towers, which, however, were completed after the death of the master in 1950. The remaining facades, stucco and towers remained in their unfinished state.

Death of a great master

From the 14th year of the 20th century, Gaudi began to devote himself entirely to the construction of the temple and began to withdraw more and more into his inner world and gradually turned into a hermit. He spent days in his workshop on the construction site and only occasionally went out of the gate in order to collect funds and donations for further work. The construction of the cathedral walls and the entire building became Gaudí's obsession and goal in his life.

On one of the usual days in 1926, when Antonio Gaudí headed to the nearest church for vespers, he was hit by a tram on the way. This was the last day in the life of the brilliant architect of Catalonia. In the old man lying on the road in worn-out clothes, none of the passers-by recognized the master Gaudi. He was mistaken for a homeless old man and sent to the Holy Cross and Paul Hospital for the Poor. The architect was unconscious for two days and died in a hospital bed at the age of 74.

Only after his death, Antonio Gaudi was recognized in the body of the deceased and buried with full honors in the crypt of the unfinished cathedral.

Modern masters have tried many times to finish Gaudi's handiwork, but no one has been able to repeat the artist's idea and bring it to life. Now the cathedral flaunts its formidable and awesome views in Barcelona and over the years has become its main building and the face of the city.

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Antonio Gaudi(June 25, 1852, Reus - June 10, 1926, Barcelona, ​​full name:Antonio Gaudi and Cornet), is an outstanding Spanish architect, a bright and original representative of organic architecture in European Art Nouveau. Antonio Gaudi developed new ideas about architecture, drawing inspiration from the forms of wildlife, developed original means of spatial geometry.

Gaudí created many architectural objects in Barcelona.

Few architects in the world have had such a significant impact on the look of their city or created something so iconic for their culture. Antonio Gaudí is the most famous architect in Spain. The work of Gaudi marked the highest flowering of Spanish Art Nouveau. Distinctive feature Gaudí's style lies in the fact that organic, natural forms (clouds, trees, rocks, animals) became the sources of his architectural fantasies. Gaudí's world of nature has become the main source of inspiration in solving both artistic and design problems, as well as constructive ones. Antonio Gaudi hated closed and geometrically correct spaces, and the walls drove him downright crazy; he avoided straight lines, believing that a straight line is a product of man, and a circle is a product of God. Gaudí declares war on the straight line and moves forever into the world of curved surfaces to form his own, unmistakably recognizable style.

Antonio Gaudi was born on June 25 1852 . in the city of Reus, near Barcelona, ​​in a family belonging to the family of hereditary masons. WITH 1868 . lived in Barcelona, ​​where in 1873-1878. studied at the Higher Technical School of Architecture. Gaudi studied various crafts (carpentry, metal forging, etc.) in the workshop of E. Punti.

In Europe at that time, an extraordinary flowering of the neo-Gothic style was observed, and the young Antonio Gaudi enthusiastically followed the ideas of neo-Gothic enthusiasts - the French architect and writer Viollet-le-Duc (the largest restorer of Gothic cathedrals in the 19th century, who restored Notre Dame Cathedral) and the English critic and art critic John Ruskin. The declaration proclaimed by them “Decorativeness is the beginning of architecture” fully corresponded to Gaudí’s own thoughts and ideas and, one might say, became the architect’s creative credo for many years.

But in still more Gaudí was influenced by real local Gothic with its picturesque combination of European and Oriental, Moorish motifs.

In 1870-1882. carried out applied orders (sketches of fences, lanterns, etc.) in the studio of architects E. Sala and F Villar. First independent work Gaudí (fountain in Plaza Catalunya, 1877 .) revealed the bright quirkiness of the author's decorative fantasy.

In 1880-83. a building was built according to his project - Casa Vicens, where Gaudi used the polychrome effects of ceramic cladding, so characteristic of his mature things. The house, built for the owner of the ceramic factory M. Vicens - Casa Vicens (1878-80), looked like a fairy-tale palace. In accordance with the desire of the owner to see the "kingdom of ceramics" in his country residence, Gaudí covered the walls of the house with multi-color iridescent majolica tiles, decorated the ceilings with hanging stucco "stalactites", filled the courtyard with bizarre gazebos and lanterns. Garden buildings and a dwelling house made up a magnificent ensemble, in the forms of which the architect first tried his favorite techniques: an abundance of ceramic decoration; plasticity, fluidity of forms; bold combinations of different styles; contrasting combinations of light and dark, horizontals and verticals.

The House of Vicens is a dialogue with Arabic architecture. Asymmetric façade solution, broken roof line, geometric ornament, wrought iron bars on windows and balconies, bright colors due to ceramics - these are the hallmarks of Casa Vicens.

In 1887-1900. Antonio Gaudi carried out a number of projects outside of Barcelona (the Bishop's Palace in Astorga, 1887-1893; Casa Botines in Leon, 1891-1894; and others), giving his Neo-Gothic stylizations an increasingly free character. Antonio Gaudi also acted as a restorer.

In 1883-1885, according to the project of Gaudi, El Capriccio (cat. Capricho de Gaudí) was created - a summer mansion on the Cantabrian coast in the town of Comillas near the city of Santander. In a constructive plan, the project uses a horizontal distribution of space, the living quarters are brought out by windows into a valley descending to the sea. IN ground floor the kitchen and household services are located, on the ground floor there are spacious halls, a smoking room, living quarters and several guest bedrooms with private bathrooms. Through the gallery from any bedroom you can get into the heart of the building - a salon-living room with a two-level ceiling.

The outside of the building is lined with rows of bricks and ceramic tiles. The main facade is emphasized in the plinth painted in ocher and gray colors rustic with rough relief. The first floor is lined with wide rows of multi-colored bricks interspersed with narrow strips of majolica tiles with relief casts of sunflower inflorescences.

IN 1883 . Gaudí Met a Textile TycoonEusebio Guell, who became for him not only the main customer and patron, but also his best friend. For 35 years, until the death of the patron, the architect designed for his family everything necessary for life: from household items to mansions and parks. This textile magnate richest man Catalonia, not alien to aesthetic insights, could afford to order any dream, and Gaudi got what every creator dreams of: freedom of expression without regard to estimates.

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

In 1884-87. created the ensemble of the Güell estate near Barcelona. Wall cladding with chipped ceramic tile mosaics has become hallmark buildings of Gaudí. The most famous buildings of Park Güell on manor lands (1900-14) - the so-called. The "Greek Temple" (room for the covered market), in which the architect erected a whole forest of 86 columns, and the "Endless Bench" several hundred meters long, wriggling like a snake.

In this park, Gaudi tried to embody ideas that exist in nature, but have never been implemented in architecture. The buildings seem to have grown out of the ground, all together they form a single whole, very organic, despite the variety of shapes and sizes.

The famous curvilinear bench of the Hall of a Hundred Columns and the house-museum of the architect himself are marked with the seal of the genius of the architect. convent St. Teresa (Convento Teresiano) and the house of Calvet (La Casa Calvet ).

In 1891, the architect received an order for the construction of a new cathedral in Barcelona - the Sagrada Familia (Temple of the "Holy Family"). The Sagrada Familia temple became the highest fruit of the master's imagination. Attaching special importance to this building as a monumental symbol of the national and social revival of Catalonia, Antogio Gaudí1910 . He focused entirely on it, placing his workshop here.

The style in which the cathedral is made is vaguely reminiscent of Gothic, but at the same time, it is something completely new, modern. The building of the Sagrada Familia Cathedral is designed for a choir of 1500 singers, a children's choir of 700 people and 5 organs. The temple was to become the center of the Catholic religion. From the very beginning, the construction of the temple was supported by Pope Leon XIII.

Work on the creation of the Sagrada Familia temple began in 1882 . under the direction of the architects Martorell (Juan Martorell) and De Villar (Francisco de P. Del Villar). IN 1891 . the construction was led by Antoni Gaudí. The architect retained the plan of his predecessor - a Latin cross with five longitudinal and three transverse naves, but made his own changes. In particular, he changed the shape of the capitals of the crypt columns, the height of the arches was increased to10 m , the stairs were moved by him to the wings instead of their intended frontal placement. He constantly refined the idea during construction.

As conceived by Gaudi, the Sagrada Familia (Sagrada Familia) was to become a symbolic building, a grandiose allegory of the Nativity of Christ, represented by three facades. Eastern is dedicated to Christmas; the western one - to the Passion of Christ, the southern, the most impressive, should become the facade of the Resurrection.

The portals and towers of the Sagrada Familia are adorned with exuberant sculpture reproducing the entire living world, the dizzying complexity of profiles and detailing surpassing anything Gothic has ever known. This is a kind of Gothic Art Nouveau, which, however, is based on the plan of a purely medieval cathedral.

Despite the fact that Gaudi built the Sagrada Familia temple for thirty-five years, he managed to build and decorate only the Nativity facade, which is structurally the eastern part of the transept, and four towers above it. The western part of the apse, which makes up most of this majestic building, has not yet been completed.

More than seventy years after Gaudí's death, construction of the Sagrada Familia continues today. Spiers are gradually erected (during the life of the architect, only one was completed), facades with figures of the apostles and evangelists, scenes of the ascetic life and the atoning death of the Savior are being drawn up. The construction of the Sagrada Familia is expected to be completed by2030 .

One of Gaudí's most popular buildings, the Batlo House (1904-06), is the fruit of a whimsical fantasy of purely literary origin. It developed the plot - St. George kills the dragon. The first two floors resemble the bones and skeleton of a dragon, the texture of the wall is its skin, and the roof complex pattern- his spine. A turret and several groups of chimneys of various complex shapes lined with ceramics are installed on the roof.

Casa Batlo is a lyrical creation, where the harmony of color and the plastic texture of the material are masterfully used. The architectural and sculptural décor seems to consist of living, frozen forms only for a moment. The symbolism of the living is completed in the design of the roof in the form of a dragon's back.

Among the masterpieces modern architecture The House of Mila (1906-10), one of the famous Art Nouveau buildings, is called "La Pedrera" (quarry), due to the strangeness of this structure. This is a six-storey tenement house located on a corner lot with two courtyards and six light wells.

The building, like apartments, has a complex curvilinear plan. Initially, Gaudi intended to give curvilinear outlines to all internal partitions, but subsequently abandoned this, giving them broken outlines that contrast with the wavy surface of the facade. New constructive solutions have been applied in Mila's house: there are no internal load-bearing walls, all interfloor floors are supported by columns and external walls, in which balconies play a constructive role.

This is one of the first attempts to create a new planning solution, later known as the "free plan". The roof rests on arcades. A terrace is installed on the roof of the house, rather, a detour of a complex composition, which allows you to admire the stone "menagerie" on the roof of the house, consisting of ventilation pipes, shafts, stairs, which have a complex plastic solution of a biomorphic nature. In general, the decorative solution of the house reflects the theme of natural motifs (caves, sea, underwater world), characteristic of Art Nouveau architecture.

In the famous Casa Mila (house of the Mila family) in Barcelona (1906–10), Gaudí was far ahead of his time by creating a building that embodied the ideas of flexible planning (the entire load is carried by the frame, and internal partitions can be distributed freely). Special curvilinear beams were made for the frame, creating a feeling of resiliently springy supports of massive walls. The wavy forms of the façade were complemented by bizarre balcony railings; on the roof, the architect placed a whole “sculpture garden”: chimneys and ventilation shafts were disguised with stone statues resembling fabulous giants. The inhabitants of Barcelona called the house "La Pedrera" ("The Quarry").

Antonio Gaudí died in Barcelona on June 7, 1926, hit by a tram near the Sagrada Familia. In an unconscious state, in shabby clothes, he was taken to the Holy Cross Hospital - a special shelter for the poor, from which he was no longer destined to leave, in order to continue to decorate the world with the genius of his craftsmanship. His remains lie in the crypt of the Sagrada Familia.

Antonio Gaudi, according to many art critics, became the "Leonardo da Vinci of the 20th century", embodying the qualities of not only a brilliant architect, artist, but also a brilliant inventor.

Park Guell