Virtuoso Insights - October/November 2008 - (Page 50) clockwise from top: the world’s most iconic “work in progress,” gaudí’s Sagrada Familia; a closeup of the artist’s mosaic dragon in parc güell; and casa Batlló’s dreamlike, undulating facade. the legacY Of gauDÍ Perhaps the city’s greatest prodigy, Antoni Gaudí, more than anyone, left his artistic imprint on Barcelona with his stunning and surreal trademark architectural style. A visit to the buildings he conceived will take you out of the galleries and museums and onto the streets, to appreciate an art form that is an intrinsic part of the city’s unmistakable fabric. His greatest achievement — and one that he never saw completed — is the Sagrada Familia (Mallorca 401), the soaring, monumental cathedral that is still under construction. It will have a roof added in 2010 and the building’s completion, including its 550-foot, 18th tower, is slated for 2025. Gaudí drew much of his inspiration from nature, and the swirling shapes of his columns, the bright colors resembling flowers, and the twisting spires and mushroom-shaped chimneys of his buildings also lend them a fairytale quality. Typical of Gaudí’s facades — which possess a living, organic nature — the pillars of the Sagrada Familia resemble trees, while its sculptures of saints and the nativity resemble elaborate woodcarvings. Designed for a Barcelona aristocrat, Casa Batlló (Passeig de Gràcia 43) is one of two Gaudí creations on the same street, the other being La Pedrera. The facade of the former incorporates more city of Prodigies on page 52 P 50 Virtuoso insights
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.