The most popular characters between my guests is Antoni Gaudí
Antoni Gaudí is the most famous character in Barcelona, and the Gaudi Tour is the most popular tour I do every season. Here I’m going to detail some clues for you to understand the importance of Gaudí in architecture also in today’s architects.
- Antoni Gaudí came to study in Barcelona College when he was a young one. After his studies he settled down in the city. He was born in 1852 in Reus, a town by the South of Catalonia.
- He was a great engineer. He studied engineering and architecture in Barcelona College. There was no division in the degree when Gaudí went to university. Antoni Gaudí buidings are smart and extemly practical.
- Gaudí worked a lot, in Barcelona, all over Catalonia and North West of Spain. He was living in Barcelona by the time they were building the enlargement of the city. There were a lot of opportunities for an architect to work in the city.
- Antoni Gaudí developed organic shapes in his architecture. When Gaudí was a child he had rheumatism and he couldn’t play with other kids because he was having a lot of pain. During that period, two years and a half, he was living by country side and he had to play on his own with elements from nature. When he became an architect, he was still playing with elements from nature.
- Sagrada Familia construction was a deep impact in his life. Antoni Gaudí changed from anticlerical to extremely catholic person. He was working in the temple of Sagrada Familia during 42 years.
- He was coming from a working class famil. Antoni Gaudí wasn’t from Catalonian wealthy bourgeoisie social class, like most of the architects in the city used to be.
- Antoni Gaudí died in 1926 because a tragic accident, a tramway run over him.
- Antoni Gaudi is still a very important influence in comtemporany architecture. Frank Lloyd Wright, Toyo Ito, Jean Nouvel, Frank Gehry , Santiago Calatrava or Le Corbusier are perfect exemplary architects.
