This week I’m going to be talking about famous, world renowned architect Antoni Gaudí and his famous Park Güell.
Gaudí was a Catalan architect born in Tarragona in the early 19th century, he is known as one of the most famous architects worldwide and has various critically acclaimed heritage sites worldwide. It is also important to note that as an architect and artist, he is heavily associated with the Modernisme movement, which was the Catalan version of France’s known Art Nouveau. Modernisme emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Gaudí drew a lot of his inspiration from Modernisme, which is the connection and collaboration of art, architecture, and nature. The Modernisme movement focuses on originality, and is known as an opportunity to break away from some of the rules regarding architecture; especially in the Romanesque period. This innovative movement was created to embrace change, creativity, and naturalism while still honoring tradition and cultural aspects of art and architecture. Although his main focus was modernisme, Gaudí still drew some of his early inspiration from Neo Gothic architecture, and naturalism. He was consistent with incorporating all things nature, modernisme, and religion into his projects (three things that were vital to himself and his life’s work).
Although I have enjoyed viewing all of the Gaudí heritage sites I’ve gotten the opportunity to witness in real life, my personal favorite thus far has been Park Güell. Park Güell is an iconic landmark of Barcelona’s city scape, and is filled with gorgeous combinations of art, architecture, and nature.
Park Güell was designed by Gaudí and was worked on from 1900 to 1914, and was later declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1984. The park was initially commissioned by Catalan industrialist, Eusebi Güell, and was supposed to be a gated bourgeoisie neighborhood for the elite class (exclusive to the wealthy, outside of the city). When Gaudí took over this project it later ended up being created as a park, designed for the public.
This park is widely known for its mosaics, and the various aspects of modernisme, nature, and religious inspirations held in the numerous structures, sculptures, and columns Park Güell holds. The dragon, also known as “El Drac”, represents Barcelona and Catalonia’s cultural heritage and is located in the heart of the park. He is meant to represent the park’s “guardian”, representing a mystical figure welcoming its visitors. Connected with El Drac are the colorful, textured tiles on the wavy benches wrapping around the park, representing this dragon and resembling its scales.
Gaudí also heavily focused on how his creations made sense logistically within his architecture. For example, he thought that the tan pillars in the park’s “Hypostyle Room” should be vertically slanted, that they would be even scientifically stronger. He came to this conclusion when considering all things related to strength, stability, and balance.
While I could go on for hours talking about the architectural genius Gaudí accomplished with Park Güell, it’s safe to say that this is one of the most stunning heritage sites I’ve seen on my travels. Thank you guys again for reading, I’ve got more exciting art and sites to explore and talk about in the coming weeks!
