Gaudi and His Inspirations.
Gaudi was born at the peak of Spanish disruption, the 19th century. Many wars broke out just before and after his 74 year lifetime, as well as the three Carlist wars that took place whilst he was alive.
He arrived in Barcelona at seventeen and stayed there for the majority of his life thereafter, it was 1889 and the Catalan Modernist style was just beginning to become widespread during his first few years in the city. Catalan Modernism had very distinctive characteristics of multi-coloured mosaics, tiles decorated with motifs and relief patterns (usually designed by the architect), stunning stained glass, elegant lamps and candle holders made of delicate metal and glass, and large masculine stone sculptures that were painted white which then became part of the architects structure. Sounds very much like Gaudi's work and many books and accounts on Gaudi that I have read categorize him as a Catalan Modernist, but on further research I saw elements of many other styles of architecture.
Gaudi was surrounded by the history of Barcelona, its stories told by the streets of the city, the Gothic Quarter is definitely one of the most grand and exciting parts of Barcelona, and it seems that this is the part of the city that Gaudi found a lot of his inspirations. The gothic quarter is supposed to have the largest medieval street plan in Western Europe, and is a key area of the city even now so in Gaudi's time it is quite easy to see why this area was such a great influence to him. The Catalan Gothic style is best seen in the beautiful Cathedral found amongst the twisting streets, they open up to show a courtyard, a flight of steps leading up to the front entrance to the Gothic Cathedral. I was faced...
More Design Arts
essays:
The architectural treasures in Buffalo, NY. Richard Upjohn and his design styles.
... of stained glass creates a beautiful play of color and light on the interior. The prominent location, abutting the corner in the heart of the city, furthers the ... the style that he employed. Richard Upjohn was a prominent figure in Gothic revival in the late 19th century. He ...
Latin American Paintings.
... X MODERN ART In the first two decades of the 20th century, Spanish modernists introduced Latin American painters to European styles of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including ...
"What factors led to the rise and decline in stained glass art popularity?"
... the stained glass, such as the predominately used red and blue colors. The answer to this predicament came with the arrival of Gothic architecture, which was set apart from other types of classical architecture with its distinct feature ...
Gothic Architecture
... by stain glassed windows, sculpture and illuminated manuscripts. Although the earliest Gothic churches had a wide variety of styles, the creation of a series of large cathedrals in northern France, beginning in the second half of the 12th century, took ...
Essay on modernism including cubism and expressionism
... reflecting modernist traits and values special to Kandinsky and his movement of the Blue Rider Group. Cubism an early 20th-century school of painting and sculpture in ...
Streamline Design in America
... as masculine.3 Whereas previous emphasis had been placed on the utilitarian, as opposed to aesthetic characteristics of household appliances, there was now an acknowledged need to introduce an element of fashion or style in ...
Comparison of the Met and Guggenheim Museum New York
... a sculpture. The south façade is modernist and contrasts the classical style of the rest of the museum (picture 18). It is composed of glass with ... windows serve to enhance the steam ship analogy that is characteristic of Wright's architecture. The core of the building emanates ...
Design History essay: Design Development Since the Industrial Revolution.
... Morris and Co. He designed cloths, carpets, chairs, book covers, stained glass windows, and wall paper, which were all hand- made, and ... the first design school in the world; The Bauhaus. It later becomes one of the most influential design styles in the whole world of modern design ...