Modernismo Catalán (a sequel of sorts)
I dedicate this post to my Spanish teacher and dear friend Maite.
You know those episodes in TV series that consist mostly of flashbacks showing bits and pieces from previous story lines? Well, this article starts off somewhat similar in style.
I have just published a post on Belgian Art Nouveau architecture, focussing on Brussels, where I mentioned that the Art Nouveau movement had several different forms depending on country. I have written about Austrian Jugendstil twice before: there is one post on Wiener Modernism, and another one which is dedicated to female artists of the era. Do click on the links to read them (again) to get the bigger picture.
I have also previously told you about my visit to Barcelona in a blog post on Takis. What I haven't shown you yet though, are my photos documenting Barcelona's iconic Art Nouveau style, called Modernismo Catalán.
As the name suggests, the movement had its centre in Catalonia, or more precisely, in its capital, Barcelona. Here, just like in Brussels, the focus was on architecture. Nevertheless, it did reach beyond both the city and the genre, encompassing other art forms like sculpture and painting, as well as literature and theatre, throughout Spain.
Although there were several architects that were designing buildings in this 'Modernista' style, the movement is best embodied by the work of one person, namely Antoni Gaudí.
Gaudí was one of those oddball geniuses that only come around every few hundred years or so. His work is instantly recognisable and can be found throughout Barcelona. It is heavily influenced by nature and his strong catholic faith, which grew ever stronger as he advanced in age.
The first project of his career, just after graduating from the Barcelona Architecture School, was the design of the lampposts for Plaça Reial, as at that time electric light was being introduced to the city for the first time. These lampposts are still one of the most eye-catching features of this busy square in the Gothic quarter of Barcelona.
For his architectural projects Gaudí drew on traditional Catalan building techniques and was inspired by the Neo-Gothic movement (as is very much apparent when looking at La Sagrada Familia), as well as by Moorish revival architecture, also called the Neo-Mudejar style. The best example for the latter architectural style is the first building he designed: Casa Vicens. It was built between 1883 and 1885 as a summer house for broker Manuel Vicens i Montaner and has the typical features of Islamic architecture: horseshoe arches and colourful tiles used for abstract facade ornamentation.
Another example of this style is the Arco de Triunfo, built by architect Josep Vilaseca i Casanovas. It was erected as the main access gate for the 1888 Barcelona World Fair which is considered the starting point of the Modernismo movement.
Modernists rejected bourgeois values as those were seen incompatible with the socially progressive trends of the movement's philosophy. And yet, it was again the industrial bourgeoisie of Catalonia (just like in Brussels) that had the means to build the grand residences in the new Modernist style. A text book example of this drive to build monumental representations of Modernismo is the "Illa de la Discòrdia" or "Block of Discord". This is a group of buildings by four different architects, standing side by side, all exhibiting different styles, on the Passeig de Gràcia in the centre of Barcelona. Casa Lleó Morera, Casa Mulleras, Casa Bonet, Casa Amattler and Casa Batlló might not be ideal stylistic matches but they work as an ensemble and make for exceptionally spectacular photographs, each in its own right and also as an eclectic whole.
The facade that stands out the most belongs to Casa Batlló, one of Gaudí's designs. Between 1904 and 1906 an existing building was refurbished for the Batlló family who wanted Gaudí to build something that was unique. Gaudí's brief was to create a house that was different from all the other houses of the Batlló family - and he certainly delivered. In fact, the house was not just different from houses of other family members, it was different from just about any other house in town.
Casa Batlló has been nicknamed "House of Bones", and one look at the facade is enough to understand why. Although it is covered in mosaics evoking lily ponds in the style of a Monet painting - in wonderful blue and green shades - these ornamental details are only noticeable on closer inspection. What jumps out immediately though, are the cast iron balcony railings that, unnervingly, bore into onlookers like eye sockets of skulls.
Casa Batlló, unfortunately, was one of the few attractions that still had a long queue of visitors to see its 'Noble Floor'. (This part of the house on the first floor, which was once the residence of the Batlló family, is now open as a museum.) Remember, I was there a few weeks before the lockdown started, when the threat of the Coronavirus was already with us.
So I gave the crowded Casa Batlló a miss and instead opted to visit another Gaudí building just up the road. One that was easily accessible (with online tickets) and had fewer visitors was Casa Milà, dubbed 'La Pedrera' (the Stone Quarry). It forms an attractive corner with Carrer de Provenca, on the opposite side of the Passeig de Gràcia, and was the last private residence that Gaudí designed. Its construction took six years and it was finally finished in 1912.
The corner plot that had been acquired by the Milà family was to be developed as an apartment building, with the owners occupying the main floor only, the rest of the apartments were to be rented out. Construction was not without controversy but it was also revolutionary. Gaudí used columns and iron to support the structure in innovative ways and built the first underground car park in a residential building. Coaches and cars were able to enter the interior courtyards - which were groundbreaking in their own right as they improved lighting and ventilation in the building - and reach the underlying garages via a ramp.
Its facade is amazing with wonderfully organic, wrought iron railings, reminiscent of intertwined seaweed. Indeed, the entire building has the air of a seascape, as Gaudi took his inspiration for this building from Barcelona's geographic location on the shores of the Mediterranean. To me, 'la Pedrera' has the look of one of those limestone walls you can find near the sea, where nature's forces have acted as sculptors, giving the stone a carved appearance in an irregular honeycomb pattern.
One of the apartments on an upper floor is open as a museum and gives a good understanding of the interior finishing of these amazing buildings. Indeed, the decorative artifacts of Casa Milà were what made the connection between Modernismo Catalán and Belgian Art Nouveau the most obvious.
The most out-there aspects of the building though, are the roof with its sculptural structures of ventilation towers and chimneys, and its underlying attic, a maze of catenary arches. The attic was built to house the laundry and act as an insulating layer of air. Nowadays it serves as a museum and exhibition space to give an insight into the life and work of Gaudí.
These roof structures display fine examples of the amazing Trencadís technique (also called 'broken tile mosaics') that Gaudí used in many of his projects. In fact, other beautiful examples of this technique can be found in Park Güell, a public park on a hill to the North of the city, with sweeping views of Barcelona and the distant sea. Its most spectacular feature is the main terrace that is surrounded by an undulating bench in the shape of a sea serpent, all decked out in vibrantly coloured mosaics. The park was a project of the Count Eusebi Güell, Gaudí's life-long friend and patron.
Gaudí also designed several houses for Güell. The first one, Palau Güell, which is located in the Raval district, was finished in 1888. It was to serve as a family home for Güell's large family but also as a venue for the Count's grand social events.
Although it has a rather understated exterior, especially compared to Gaudí's later works, the interior was luxurious and the use of space was highly innovative. The central hall spans three floors and administrative and living quarters are arranged around it on the different levels. Carriages could drive straight through the arched entrances into the ground floor stables, depositing guests on the inside of the building. The entire structure already bears the hallmarks of Gaudí's genius in the way he used traditional materials to achieve the most spectacular effects. Just look at the wrought iron masterpiece between the two arched entrances or the roof top chimneys clad in colourful broken tile mosaics.
The fact that all these buildings designed by Gaudí are UNESCO World Heritage sites indicates how exceptional they are. Unquestionably, they were conceived by an equally exceptional man, whose ideas were far ahead of his time.
Gaudí had been born into a wealthy family and raised a proud Catalan. Unfortunately, he suffered from poor health all his life and became a vegetarian, thinking it would help his rheumatism. He never married, as the love of his life was unrequited. Instead, he dedicated his life to work.
In fact, Gaudí spent a great part of his career on the design and construction of just one building: the 'Basilica de la Sagrada Família'. He took over the project in 1883 and from 1915 worked exclusively on it, until his death eleven years later. For his designs he relied on scale models rather than traditional floor plans, a practice that his successors have been using to this day in order to finish the basilica in his spirit.
La Sagrada Família is an amazing structure with a mixture of styles, facades that tell stories, and an extraordinary interior. Inspired by nature, as always, Gaudí created tree-like columns that reach up to a stone canopy, and together with the light falling through the numerous stained glass windows, give the interior a mystical air.
By 1926 Gaudí was living on site, in the workshop inside the church, in very humble circumstances. Whereas the young Gaudi had been quite the dandy, as the years went by, passing through difficult times, he neglected his appearance. Then tragically, one day in June 1926, dressed shabbily as always and while on his daily walk, he was struck and knocked unconscious by a tram. Mistaken for a beggar, he did not receive proper medical care for his injuries, and died an unnecessary death three days later, aged 73.
Construction work at La Sagrada Família is still ongoing and the scheduled date of completion is the year 2036. Or it might get delayed further - who knows? It does not really matter though, as Gaudí, who was often called 'God's architect', had so famously remarked: "My client can wait".
