Architecturally, Barcelona is famous for the works of one man- Antoni Gaudi. Although he was certainly prolific and his talent widely acknowledged in his time, Gaudi’s relationship with the city was troubled. Not all his projects met with financial success and his last great project was unfinished at the time of his death. In fact, it remains unfinished to this day, although the final phase of construction is underway.
Today Gaudi is one of Barcelona’s favourite sons. Along with Dali, he is probably the most celebrated figure of the recent past and at first glance it would be very easy to assume that he was always the darling of the Catalan elite and that his way of thinking influenced Barcelona society as much as his buildings inform the style and feel of the city itself.
Gaudi’s use of curves and forms borrowed directly from nature was revolutionary when his designs first appeared at the end of the 19th Century and they remain rarely copied today. Many architects imitate his use of colour and decorative tiling, but they stop short of creating anything that could be mistaken for a Gaudi building. That may simply be because of the difficulties and expenses involved in building such unorthodox shapes or it may be that treading a fine line between fairytale gingerbread castles and practical, respectable architecture is just too difficult.
It’s hard not to be charmed by Gaudi’s buildings. He might have been thinking of the grandeur and majesty of nature, but his use of columns sculpted into ornate tree-trunks, bright colours, and gracefully curved roof turrets led to buildings that are more like the illustrations from a lavish children’s book than serious homes. The public loved Gaudi’s bright, beautiful designs, but they did not always want to live in them.
The problem is best illustrated by Parc Güell, which sits on a hill above the city. Count Eusebi Güell commissioned Gaudi to create a lush and lavish housing park where Barcelona’s rich, famous, eccentric and artistic would flock. The homes would be fantastic and luxurious, and the surroundings landscaped in a way that is still uniquely Gaudi. It was to have an undulating tiled terrace looking down on Barcelona and a shady grotto with beautifully arranged artificial stalactites. The landscaping plans were sympathetic to nature, amplifying it rather than forcing it to conform to neat straight lines and tidy flat lawns.
The result would be a housing development unlike any other on Earth. It might have been inspired by the English Garden City movement but Parc Güell was to be something very different. Unfortunately, it was a complete financial failure. Only two houses were built and neither sold. The landscaped park is now considered one of Barcelona’s greatest assets and tourists flock there by the thousand, but it was never as Gaudi and Güell envisioned it would be.
Gaudi built quite a few private homes in Barcelona itself. Some of the most spectacular are on public show and they are absolutely stunning, even for people who aren’t really all that interested in architecture. The Gaudi tour is popular with visitors, and it usually has the same climax- the Sagrada Familia.
As a pious Catholic, the Sagrada Familia cathedral was Gaudi’s attempt to bring God back into a rapidly changing Barcelona. It was (and sometimes is) considered a sinful city, far too worldly for its own good. Sagrada Familia was born out of a desire for redemption, perhaps in more ways than one, and the plans show an incredibly complex structure decorated in the most lavish style. It was barely begun when Gaudi died in 1926.
Both in success and in failure, Gaudi attracted tremendous controversy- the Sagrada Familiar continues to do so- but even his failures are regarded as treasures of the modernist movement. If Parc Güell had become a housing estate, it might not be open to the public today. Gaudi’s relationship with Barcelona may have been more complex than the tourist brochures imply, but his favoured position in the history books is nothing less than what he is owed.
Jess Spate is a former Barcelona resident and a lover of Gaudi buildings. She works for the New England White Furniture company : New England Lifestyle and now lives in Wales, UK.
