Antoni Gaudí

“The creation continues incessantly through the media of man. But man does not create…he discovers. Those who look for the laws of Nature as a support for their new works collaborate with the creator. Copiers do not collaborate. Because of this, originality consists in returning to the origin.”
― Antoni Gaudí

I have become increasingly interested in creativity.  I am fascinated by the things one person can do, accomplish and create in a lifetime.  During my recent trip to Barcelona, Spain, I found the perfect example of someone who added to the world using his creative mind.  That person was

Antoni Gaudí.

On our first full day in Barcelona, we took a private tour of Casa Batlló, Park Güell, and Sagrada Familia.  Gaudí was the architect of all three.

Immediately we were amazed by the unique designs of these buildings and the colors and shapes included throughout.

The roofs of Gaudí’s buildings were often very ornate.  The style of this cross on the roof of Casa Batlló was used on many of Gaudí’s buildings.

Gaudí was inspired by nature and often included the curves and colors of nature in his designs.  He became increasingly more religious as he got older.

Güell Park is a very popular destination for tourism.  Crowds began coming to Barcelona after learning about the charm found there during the 1992 Olympic Games.  The picture below will give you an idea of the crowds that were present on the morning of our visit.

The gorgeous mosaic work in Casa Batlló and Güell Park was completed by Joseph Maria Jujol.

Gaudí worked on Sagrada Familia from 1883 until he died in 1926.  The Sagrada Familia is still not completed.

It appears in the upper left of the photo below.

Gaudí wanted the outside of Sagrada Familia to read like a book.  Bible stories adorn the exterior of the building.

The Nativity façade of Sagrada Familia was completed in 1932.  This is the only façade Gaudí saw in his lifetime.

Josep Maria Subirachs created the sculptures on the Passion Façade of Sagrada Familia.

The pillars in Gaudí’s designs were not straight.  He wanted them to be like trees in the forest.  Gaudí constructed elaborate models of his designs before building.

As we finished our tour of Casa Batlló, we entered a room that played a light display for several minutes.  Our tour guide, Maria, explained that the light display was to show what it must have been like inside Gaudi’s mind.  I don’t feel there are vivid enough colors and graphics to depict his beautiful mind.

The images in this post do not do Gaudí’s work justice.  I was so overcome with the beauty I often forgot to photograph it.  Additionally, I learned a very valuable lesson during this tour.  That lesson is never to take a new camera on a once-in-a-lifetime trip.  One accidental bump of a button caused me to struggle with the technical functions of the camera when I should have just been taking in the moment.  I learned.  I am grateful to have the few pictures I have and the incredible memories that they represent.

As soon as we returned from our trip, I ordered  Gaudí The Complete Works by Rainer Zerbst.  The book is nearly 500 pages filled with modern photographs, historical photographs, architectural drawings, and text describing Gaudi’s works.  Taschen publishes this book.  I have always been pleased with the quality of Taschen’s books.  I enjoyed learning more about the buildings Gaudí discovered and collaborated to bring to the world.

I am wishing you all great discoveries!