Gaudi and Modernismo

Our Local Expert Says:

To experience a little more of the local side, walk slightly off the beaten path and further into the garden. There's often groups of hippies chilling, playing guitar and hanging out in the sun. They always welcome visitors.

Description:

One of Barcelona's greatest attractions and one of the few that are absolutely free, is Gaudi's incredible Park Guell. Get anywhere near the Vallcarca stop on the green line and you'll see tourists lumped together, maps in hand, asking locals for Park 'Guay'. Designed and built by Gaudi between 1900 and 1914, this spectacular mix of garden, park and architectural dream is a small oasis within Barcelona. From the mosaic benches, to the meticulously tiled rooftops, Park Guell is both fascinating as it is serene. One of the best places to spend a sunny day, the park is a great place to listen to music, enjoy a few copas of vino or just relax with a good book.

Description:

Gaudí's incomplete masterpiece is one of the city's more idiosyncratic creations -- if you have time to see only one Catalan landmark, you should make it this one. Begun in 1882 and incomplete at the architect's death in 1926, this incredible temple -- the Church of the Holy Family -- is a bizarre wonder. The languid, amorphous structure embodies the essence of Gaudí's style, which some have described as Art Nouveau run wild.

The Sagrada Família became Gaudí's all-encompassing obsession toward the last years of this intensely religious man's life. The commission came from the Josephines, a right-wing, highly pious faction of the Catholic Church. They were of the opinion that the decadent city needed an expiatory (atonement) temple where its inhabitants could go and do penance for their sins. Gaudí, whose view of Barcelona's supposed decadence largely mirrored that of the Josephines, by all accounts had a free hand; money was no object, nor was there a deadline. As Gaudí is known to have said, "My client [God] is in no hurry."

Literally dripping in symbolism, the Sagrada Família was conceived to be a "catechism in stone." The basic design followed that of a Gothic church, with transepts, aisles, and a central nave. Apart from the riot of stone carvings, the grandeur of the structure comes from the elongated towers: four above each of the three facades (representing the apostles) reaching 100m (329 ft.), with four more (the evangelists) shooting up from the central section at a lofty 170m (558 ft.). The words SANCTUS, SANCTUS, SANCTUS, HOSANNA IN EXCELSIUS (Holy, Holy, Holy, Glory to God in the Highest) are written on these, further embellished with colorful geometric tilework. The last tower, being built over the apse, will be higher still and dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It is the two completed facades, however, that are the biggest crowd pleasers. The oldest, and the only one to be completed while the architect was alive, is the Nativity Facade on the Carrer Marina. So rich in detail, upon first glance it seems like a wall of molten wax. As the name suggests, the work represents the birth of Jesus; its entire expanse is crammed with figurines of the Holy Family, flute-bearing angels, and an abundance of flora and fauna. Nature was Gaudí's passion; he spent hours studying its forms in the countryside of his native Reus, south of Barcelona, and much of his work is inspired by nature. On the Nativity facade, he added birds, mushrooms, even a tortoise to go along with the rest of the religious imagery. The central piece is the "Tree of Life," a Cyprus tree scattered with nesting white doves.

On the opposite side, the Passion Facade is a harsh counterpart to the fluidity of the Nativity Facade. It is the work of Josep M. Subirachs, a well-known Catalan sculptor who, like Gaudí, has set up a workshop inside the church to complete his work. His highly stylized, elongated figures are of Christ's passion and death, from Last Supper to the Crucifixion. The work, started in 1952, has been highly criticized. In the book Barcelona, art critic Robert Hughes called it "the most blatant mass of half-digested moderniste clichés to be plunked on a notable building within living memory."

Despite his and dozens of other voices of dissent, work moves forward. In 1936, anarchists attacked the church (as they did many others in the city), destroying the plans and models Gaudí had left behind. The present architects, aided by modern technology, are working from photographs of those models. The central nave is starting to take shape and the Glory Facade is limping along. It is estimated that the whole thing will be completed by 2026 (the centenary of Gaudí's death), funded entirely by visitors and private donations.

Admission includes a 12-minute video on Gaudí's religious and secular works as well as entrance to the museum, where fascinating reconstructions of Gaudí's original models are on show.

Description:

Templo Expiatorio of the Sagrada Família is the unfinished and most expensive project by Antoni Gaudí, the great architect. This unique exhibit includes plans, drawings, photographs and models related to the construction of the temple. It also houses pieces made from wrought iron, bronze and wood. Visitors can see how the temple was devised and its origins. The museum is located in the crypt of the basilica and you enter from the side of the Passió façade (Carrer Sardenya). There is a lift that takes visitors to one of the towers from which there is an excellent view over this unfinished though magnificent construction.

Description:

Start at Plaça Francesc Macià, with a branch of El Corte Inglés, a quality department store that has become a national institution. Just next door is Pedralbes Centre, an exclusive shopping mall with brand-name shops, shoes stores, a jeweller's, perfumeries and high-quality accessories, as well as shops such as Pepa Paper and Items d'Ho, which sell arts, crafts and plenty of great gifts. Further down stands L'Illa del Diagonal, a huge shopping mall with an entire floor dedicated to gastronomic delicacies. As well as numerous shops, the avant-garde building houses a hotel, offices and several restaurants - Moncho's seafood cocktails are a favourite amongst their business clients. Head down to Les Glòries roundabout for Centre de Les Glòries, the largest in the city, popular with barcelonians, who appreciate the wide range of goods and affordable prices, not to mention the free parking.

Description:

Puig i Cadalfach's building is also known as the Casa de les Punxes (House of Spikes), because of its sharply pointed gables and towers. Built between 1903 and 1905, its clearly modernist style is most evident in the floral sculptures on the façade, the use of red brick and in some of its Central European Gothic features. It was completely renovated at the end of the 1980s, but remains closed to public.

Our Local Expert Says:

The architect of this masterpiece was Salvador Valeri i Pupurull. Not all modernist buildings in Barcelona are by Gaudí.

Description:

A stop by this monumental edifice will spice up any walking tour of Barcelona. Located just off the avinguda Diagonal, this towering architectural achievement, replete with swooping lines and ever-fantastical adornments, is a post-modern futurist gingerbread house come to life.

Our Local Expert Says:

If you're a museum buff save money on entrance fees by buying the Articket at participating museum ticket offices, tourist information centers, or on-line at www.telentradas.com. It includes seven museums: Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, Fundació Caixa Catalunya, Fundació Joan Miró, Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona, Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB), Fundació Antoni Tàpies, Museu Picasso.

Description:

The Casa Milá is a fine example of Modernism, which is Cataluña's version of Art Nouveau. Organic and flowing with images of nature at every turn, this is one of Gaudí's many masterpieces. The sea comes to mind with the curving balconies perhaps lined with wrought iron kelp. The octagonal tiles inside forming starfish and other sea shapes are also used along Passeig de Gracia's sidewalk, the street on which the Casa Milá sits. The building is held up by pillars and not by supporting walls creating a greater flexibility in design especially in the façade's windows. The rooftop could be the icing on the cake with its chimneys shaped like medieval warriors with helmets on. Everything practical is turned into art. While the Casa Milá was one of Gaudí's last secular buildings, there are still inscriptions of Ave María in Latin demonstrating the architect's strong religious self.

Description:

This pretty little restaurant in Dreta Eixample will serve you some exquisite Catalan delicacies for surprisingly low prices. You will love to taste their Spanish regulars like gazpachos and carpaccios but if you wish to try out something new, L'Hostal will surely not disappoint you. However, it's not always easy to get a table as they do not take reservations, and you might even have to queue up, but then it's worth the wait.

Description:

Next door to the Casa Amatller, Casa Batlló was designed by Gaudí in 1905, and is hands-down the superior of the three works in the manzana. Using sensuous curves in iron and stone and glittering, luminous trencadis (collage of broken tiles and ceramic) on the facade, the Casa Batlló is widely thought to represent the legend of Saint George (the patron saint of Catalonia) and his dragon. The balconies are protected by imposing skull-like formations and supported by vertebrae-like columns representing the dragon's victims, while the spectacular roof is the dragon's humped and glossy scaled back. St. George can be seen in the turret, his lance crowned by a cross. The building was opened to the public in 2004, and although its admission price is steep compared to many other Gaudí attractions, the interior of the building is no less spectacular than the exterior, with sinuous staircases, flowing wood paneling, and a stained-glass gallery supported by yet more bonelike columns. Custom-made Gaudí-designed furniture is scattered throughout.

Description:

Constructed in a cubical design with a Dutch gable, this building was created by Puig i Cadafalch in 1900, and was the first building on the manzana. It stands in sharp contrast to its neighbor, the Gaudí-designed Casa Batlló . The architecture of the Casa Amatller, imposed on a pre-existing edifice, is a vision of ceramic, wrought iron, and sculptures. The structure combines grace notes of Flemish Gothic -- especially on the finish of the facade -- with elements of Catalan architecture. The gable outside is in the Flemish style. Look out for the sculptures of animals blowing glass and taking photos, both hobbies of the architect. They were executed by Eusebi Arnau, an artist much in demand by the modernistas.

Description:

The last building of the trio, on the corner of Carrer del Consell de Cent, is the Casa Lleó Morera. This florid work, completed by Doménech i Montaner in 1906, is perhaps the least challenging of the three, as it represents a more international style of Art Nouveau. One of its quirkier features is the tiered wedding cake-type turret and abundance of ornamentation. Comb the facade for a light bulb and telephone (both inventions of the period) and a lion and mulberry bush (after the owner's name: in Catalan, lion is lleó, and mulberry is morera). Tragically, the ground floor has been mutilated by its tenant, who stripped the lower facade of its detail and installed plate glass. The shop's interior, which fared no better, is the only part of the building open to the public.

Our Local Expert Says:

Head up Passeig de Gràcia or Rambla de Catalunya from Plaza Catalunya to find good tapas bars and outdoor cafes.

Description:

To cope with the exponential expansion outside the city's medieval walls, Ildefons Cerdà developed a new city plan in 1850: a grid structure of vertical and horizontal streets that formed squares when they crossed. Cerdà wanted to build residential accommodation in these square blocks and have communal yards in the middle with gardens where children could play. This part of the plan was sadly never accomplished, but the original design gives the blocks plenty of light. L'Eixample was built between 1860 and 1920, coinciding with the boom in Modernist architecture that is well represented here. The district is divided between the Dreta de L'Eixample (The Right) and the Esquerra de L'Eixample (The Left).

Our Local Expert Says:

For everything and anything foreign, check out FNAC department store, right across from the Plaza. It contains all types electronic gadgets, magazines in all languages and also has a nice coffee shop below. Best to go early in the morning to avoid the crowds.

Description:

If coming to Barcelona, you have to frequent Placa Catalunya. One of, if not the most popular plaza in Barcelona, this 5000 meter square is the cross roads between where the old city and the new city meet. Sitting at the top of the Gotico and Raval and leading into the Eixample and Gracia neighbourhoods, Placa Catalunya is not only a landmark but a gathering point for locals and tourists alike. Hosting outdoor, free concerts and celebrations, Placa Catalunya is right next to El Corte Ingles, FNAC and an abundance of other popular shops and cafes. There's always something happening in the plaza, even if it's just hippies sitting and playing guitar while children run around screaming, it's never dull.

Description:

This historic restaurant opened in 1897. It was the favourite haunt of avant-garde artists and intellectuals in the early 1900s. It is said that Picasso used to hang out here too. The menu ranges from tapas and sandwiches at the bar and elaborate and expensive meals available in the restaurant. The establishment has its own newspaper with articles about the art of cooking as well as the plastic arts. The authentic modernist-style interior and the live piano music combine to create a great atmosphere.

Description:

This charming 19th-century square is just off the Ramblas and Carrer Ferran. It was the site of a Capuchin convent that was demolished in 1835 when Barcelona underwent a period of urban renewal. Architect Francesc Daniel Molina was put in charge of filling the vacant space. Plaça Reial has undergone a number of renovations since then. The street lamps in the shape of trees were designed by Antoni Gaudí. The Las Tres Gracias fountain in the center dates from the end of the 19th Century. Now Plaça Reial is a meeting point for young people on their way to and from the nearby clubs and bars.