Art Nouveau and Antoni Gaudi, Bastions of Spanish Architecture

Art Nouveau which means “new art” is a major architectural movement that enveloped not just the Spanish architecture scene but much of the Western artistic arena in the late 1800s. Basically, this movement extensively flourished during the 1890s as numerous European countries developed their own names for this specific style.

In France, this was dubbed as “style Guimard”; “stile floreale” in Italy; “modernisme” in Spain; “Sezessionstil” in Austria; and “Jugendstil” in Germany. Though each of these terms later developed their own definitive regional characteristics, they had some common features.

As a general artistic rule, Art Nouveau was characterized with flat, decorative patterns that made use of “organic” images such as flowers or stems. Artists upholding this style emphasize handcrafting as they made use of new materials for carving details such as curving and intertwining lines.

Gaudi, an Art Nouveau pioneer in the history of Spanish Architecture

Among the most notable artists that contributed much to the development of Art Nouveau in Spanish architecture is Antoni Plàcid Guillem Gaudí Cornet. Gaudi was born in June 25, 1852 in Catalonia, Spain. He was responsible for the construction of many notable buildings in Barcelona. In particular, these included Casa Vicens, Palau Güell, Colegio Teresiano, Casa Botines, Casa Calvet, Parque Güell, Finca Miralles, Casa Batlló, Casa Milà, Sagrada Familia School and the Sagrada Familia.

Antoni Gaudi was one of the pioneers of the modernist movement. His Spanish architecture masterpieces somehow depicted Gothicism and surrealism. However, many architectural experts pointed out that Gaudi’s structures were generally inspired by Art Nouveau. His building styles leaned on “organic designs”. Gaudi even expressed his style preferences when he noted that “Originality consists of returning to the origin. Thus, originality means returning, through one’s resources, to the simplicity of the early solutions.” He implied that the use of “natural” images was important in every architectural endeavor.