Antoni Gaudí From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Antoni Gaudí

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Gaudi" redirects here. For other uses, see Gaudi (disambiguation).

This is a Catalan name. The first family name is Gaudí and the second is Cornet.

Antoni Gaudí
Gaudí in 1878, by Pau Audouard
Born	25 June 1852 Reus, Catalonia, Spain[1][2]
Died	10 June 1926 (aged 73) Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Nationality	Spanish
Buildings	Sagrada Família, Casa Milà, Casa Batlló
Projects	Park Güell, Church of Colònia Güell

Antoni Gaudí i Cornet (Catalan pronunciation: [ənˈtɔni ɣəwˈði]; 25 June 1852 – 10 June 1926) was a Spanish Catalan architect from Reus, who was the figurehead of Catalan Modernism. Gaudí's works reflect his highly individual and distinctive style and are largely concentrated in Barcelona, notably hismagnum opus, the Sagrada Família.

Much of Gaudí's work was marked by his big passions in life: architecture, nature, religion.[3] Gaudí studied every detail of his creations, integrating into his architecture a series of crafts in which he was skilled: ceramics, stained glass, wrought ironwork forging and carpentry. He introduced new techniques in the treatment of materials, such as trencadís, made of waste ceramic pieces.

After a few years, under the influence of neo-Gothic art and Oriental techniques, Gaudí became part of the Modernista movement which was reaching its peak in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His work transcended mainstream Modernisme, culminating in an organic style inspired by nature. Gaudí rarely drew detailed plans of his works, instead preferring to create them as three-dimensional scale models and molding the details as he was conceiving them.

Gaudí's work enjoys widespread international appeal and many studies are devoted to understanding his architecture. Today, his work finds admirers among architects and the general public alike. His masterpiece, the still-uncompleted Sagrada Família, is one of the most visited monuments in Catalonia.[4] Between 1984 and 2005, seven of his works were declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. Gaudí's Roman Catholic faith intensified during his life and religious images permeate his work. This earned him the nickname "God's Architect"[5] and led to calls for his beatification.[6][7][8]