The undeniable talent of Antoni Gaudí.
by Tiago Noce
Barcelona cannot be described without mentioning one of Spain’s biggest artists ever, Antoni Gaudí.
Throughout a week, LIU Global Class of 2022 had the amazing opportunity to dive into his art and his inspirations. Born in 1852, Gaudí was a very well known and important Catalan architect, responsible for important landmarks of Barcelona as La Sagrada Familia, La Pedrera, Casa Batlló and Guell Park. In each one of them, you can see Gaudí’s connection with nature, religion and the sunlight. Gaudí, died abruptly after a tram hit on June 7th, 1926. He left amazing works throughout the whole Barcelone, which attracts a huge amount of tourists and makes Barcelona one of the most visited places in Europe. Two stand out personally La Pedrera and La Sagrada Familia.
La Pedrera was the work that gave Gaudí the visibility that he deserved. It helped him to be selected to work on the Sagrada Familia after a previous failed plan. Built in 1900, it is located in one of the most important and expansive avenues of Barcelona, Passeig de Gràcia. As well as nature, it was designed to have no straight lines, so the whole facade of the building would look like a wave of the ocean. It has two main holes in the middle of the construction, so the sunlight can flow freely through the apartments. Another interesting detail is the sculptures on the roof, they seemed as large spirals with guards helmets. Each one of the sculptures is dedicated to the four vital elements; water, fire, earth, and air.
Nevertheless, Gaudí’s biggest work and the biggest example of his talent is La Sagrada Familia. An example of the connection between Gaudí and nature are the columns at Sagrada Familia. They are strong and built in an almost straight line until the end when it separates itself in many different parts as if their were branches. The columns are representing the trees that sustain all life and nature in the world. At the Sagrada Familia, the windows have green, blue, orange and red stained glass, so when the sunlight hits them the whole church shines in that color and dictates the mood of it. The selection of color has been a point of debate for experts and tourists, some argue that it represents the passage of the seasons of the year, others may argue that while the green and blue represent life the red and orange represent death.
Everything in the church was thought and planned to have to biggest connection with religion and nature. Gaudí was trying to tell us how we cannot live without nature and that we should be mindful about how we deal with it. The plan of the current architects is to finish La Sagrada Familia in 2026, exactly 100 years after Gaudí died. Gaudi always believed in the importance of nature and how it is fundamental for all of us to have it close on a daily basis. It was his main source of inspiration. Visiting Barcelona is a chance to see how his work is constantly connecting with nature but also with visitors. This connection happens when the sunlight hits the stained glass of the Sagrada Familia at the blue part and you feel a sudden feeling of hope or when it hits the red part and you feel an urge to live all the second you have left. It also happens when the sunlight flows through the apartments of La Pedrera, and you know that the sun will shine again tomorrow. Thus, when in Barcelona, let yourself be connected with nature and be completely amazed by the undeniable talent of Antoni Gaudí.
