That architecture is an art is understood by few but for a few creative geniuses architecture reflects who they are and their faith in divinity. It is colour, texture, flow, light, space, energy, emotion, prayer and surrender to a higher power. For Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí (25 June 1852 – 10 June 1926)), architecture was all this and more. It was not just division of space but a culmination of many influences.
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He brought to his buildings, the warmth of ceramics, wrought iron detailing, the beauty of stained glass and pioneered the use of reclaimed ceramic pieces ( trencadís,) that architects are still using. His buildings were not of a time and space. They had so many influences, from neo-Gothic art and Oriental strains to something as organic as a forest full of trees! The peak of his architectural ambition, Sagrada Família is one of the most loved monuments in the world but could not be completed in his life time. Yet, its sense of grandeur is matchless.
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His Catholic faith informed his works but his architecture went beyond it. He is called God’s architect but his work was not about one religion but the magic of creation that we see in a sunset, in the blossoming and withering of seasons and the constant cycle of life. Even an atheist would feel a stirring of awe and wonder at the span of his imagination. Imagination is usually in short supply when architects build within the constraints of budget and time and resources but Gaudi was not bound by these limitations.
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Whether he was building lamp posts or wine cellars or pavillions or monuments, he was never in a hurry. One of his famous quotes being, “My client is not in a hurry” where he referred to God as his prime motivator. In a way, Sagrada Família is one of the most compelling structures in the world because it is a never before, never again flight of faith with richly detailed facades and surreal spires that seem to be going on forever. Almost a century later, the church is still a work in progress and still a masterpiece in its own right.
Gaudi was deeply inspired by the organic shapes of earth and its curved forms and so used very little straight lines in the free-flowing structure. He famously said, “Originality is returning to the origin.”‘ He believed ardently that if the origin of all things is Nature, originality must refer to nature for inspiration. He also learnt from Nature that a beautiful form must have some function. Meaninglessness has no place in Nature or in Gaudi’s work.
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Strangely enough, Sagrada Família was not originally assigned to him. He inherited the project from another architect but when he finally saw it, he visualised the structure as the story of Christ and he became so consumed by his passion, that he spent the last 12 years of his life living and working at the site. The detailed models he created are still helping modern architects to take his work forward and finish the structure even though it has taken 130 years and many tragedies to come this far. Gaudi died in 1926 and the Spanish Civil War further delayed construction.
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But Gaudi’s genius has brought together scores of architects, engineers, and sculptors who have dedicated themselves to making this..possibly the most ambitious architectural endeavour in history, a living, breathing reality.
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To what extent Gaudi’s energy has inspired the world is visible in the way Japanese sculptor Etsuro Sotoo has dedicated 35 years of his life to the site where he lives and works. Once a central tower is built, the structure will be finished but even the most optimistic estimates peg the completion to be around 2026, the centennial of Gaudí’s death.
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George Orwell once commented that Sagrada Família was possibly the ugliest building in human history but then Orwell was not known for his architectural smarts and in any case, all great creative initiatives are attacked by cynics and critics. When Gaudi graduated from the Barcelona Higher School of Architecture, in 1878, Elies Rogent, the director of the school, said: “We have given this academic title either to a fool or a genius. Time will show.”
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Well, Time continues to speak. And how.
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Reema Moudgil has been writing for magazines and newspapers on art, cinema, issues, architecture and more since 1994, is an RJ, hosts a daily Ghazal show, runs unboxed writers, is the editor of Chicken Soup for The Indian Woman’s soul, the author of Perfect Eight (http://www.flipkart.com/perfect-eight-9380032870/p/itmdf87fpkhszfkb?pid=9789380032870&_l=A0vO9n9FWsBsMJKAKw47rw–&_r=dyRavyz2qKxOF7Yuc ) and an artist.
Thank you for this just before my trip to Barcelona. Can’t wait to see the Sagrada now!