Gaudi Antoni Gaudi was a Spanish architect born

Gaudi Antoni Gaudi was a Spanish architect born on 25 th June 1852 in Reus, Catalonia, Spain. His father was a coppersmith. Gaudi was the youngest of five children. He spent much of his childhood outside, which gave him the perfect opportunity to observe nature. This later became very important to his artwork.

In the Beginning Gaudi’s first project was designing the lampposts for the Plaça Reial in Barcelona. At the Paris World’s Fair in 1878, Gaudi displayed a showcase. It was highly praised, and he was commissioned for many more projects. Lampost in the Plaça Reial in Barcelona.

Gaudi’s Work Most of Gaudi’s work is in Barcelona, although he travelled to Malaga and Tangiers to work on commissioned projects there. Casa Batllo, Barcelona Gaudi's Chimneys, Palau Guell, Barcelona Photo courtesy of (Frank Kovalchek @flickr. com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution

Gaudi’s Designs Gaudi’s work was also influenced by nature – particularly the geometric patterns he had observed, and religion. His Catholic faith was strong, and religious images became an important part of his designs. Gaudi's Mosaic Work Photo courtesy of (Alex Proimos) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution This earned him the nickname, “God’s Architect”.

Gaudi’s Designs He considered all details in his work, often including craft work like stained glass, ceramics and wrought iron. He disliked drawing his designs, and instead created 3 D models of his plans. He became part of the Modernista movement: a movement of artists, poets as well as architects attempting to capture the essence of Catalan culture. Gaudi was also interested in Islamic art.

Sagrada Família In 1883, Gaudí was given the responsibility of the project to build a Barcelona church called Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família – the Basilica and Expiatory Church of the Holy Family, or Sagrada Família.