May 5, 2011 In architecture, art, creativity, imagination, inspiration, skill By Patricia Saxton

Creative Duet: The Mind-Boggling Antoni Gaudi

Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi is known for his engineering genius, but there are clearly so many other elements at work in his work that he is far more than “architect”.

He was an artist. Buildings were his canvas. And those buildings are grand treasure troves of design and unbridled creativity.

Revered worldwide as one of the most important modernist style architects, Gaudi lived from 1852-1926. “Over the course of his career, Gaudi developed a sensuous, curving, almost surreal design style which established him as the innovative leader of the Spanish Art Nouveau movement. With little regard for formal order, he juxtaposed unrelated systems and altered established visual order. Gaudi’s characteristically warped form of Gothic architecture drew admiration from other avant-garde artists.”*

Gaudi takes “thinking outside the box” to whole new levels. His extraordinary works, many of which reside in Barcelona, are movement and dance, they’re delicious sugar-laced monuments with creamy frosting; they’re all marshmallows and gingerbread, sand-castles, stone, glass and iron; they’re original, dramatic, striking blends of angle and color.

I marvel at the ingenuity and the boundlessness. Fantastic. Illogical. Stunning.

*References
Dennis Sharp. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Architects and Architecture. New York: Quatro Publishing, 1991. ISBN 0-8230-2539-X. NA40.I45. p61.
Muriel Emmanuel. Contemporary Architects. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1980. ISBN 0-312-16635-4. NA680.C625 1980.
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November 21, 2009 In art, creativity, design, inspiration By Patricia Saxton

The Marvel and Magnificence of Antoni Gaudi

A colleague recently returned from Barcelona, sharing with me his awe for Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi. When I researched some imagery, I felt I was glimpsing a grand, new artistic treasure trove. It’s not new at all, of course – but it is grand. In all my European travels, with all its magnificent architecture, I never saw gems quite like these.

It could be because when in Spain at the tender age of 16, my strongest impressions were Seville, the Alhambra, the beaches of black sand and the lude men – the latter of which discouraged my desire to go back to Spain. But Antoni Gaudi has revived my appreciation.

Gaudi lived from 1852-1926, and is known as one of the most important modernist style architects worldwide. “Over the course of his career, Gaudi developed a sensuous, curving, almost surreal design style which established him as the innovative leader of the Spanish Art Nouveau movement. With little regard for formal order, he juxtaposed unrelated systems and altered established visual order. Gaudi’s characteristically warped form of Gothic architecture drew admiration from other avant-garde artists.”**

Gaudi takes “thinking outside the box” to whole new levels. His extraordinary works, many of which reside in Barcelona, are movement and dance; they’re delicious, sugar-lined monuments with creamy icing; they’re all marshmallows and gingerbread, sand-castles, stone, glass and iron; they’re original, artistic, striking blends of sharp color and duotones. They’re fantastic. They’re illogical. They’re stunning. I marvel at the ingenuity and the boundlessness.

**References
Dennis Sharp. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Architects and Architecture. New York: Quatro Publishing, 1991. ISBN 0-8230-2539-X. NA40.I45. p61.
Muriel Emmanuel. Contemporary Architects. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1980. ISBN 0-312-16635-4. NA680.C625 1980.
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