Architect Antoni Gaudi Took His Cues From Nature

Antoni Gaudi never had access to the computer-aided design tools modern architects use.

Instead, he relied on nature for inspiration and on small-scale models to test complex structural ideas.

Gaudi (1852-1926) designed and built parks, apartment buildings, homes and churches in Spain's Catalonia region, especially Barcelona.

His distinctive architectural style riled critics. Even countryman and painter Pablo Picasso ridiculed his originality. Still, Gaudi pushed ahead. He refined structural and decorative techniques. "Gaudi's methods, one century later, continue to be revolutionary," architect Norman Foster said in 1985.

Catalonia, on the Mediterranean coast, was a key influence on Gaudi. His "unwavering loyalty to his origins" nourished his work, said biographer Gijs van Hensbergen.

A weak baby, Gaudi developed a lung infection. Rheumatic fever gave him rheumatoid arthritis.

As a child, he sometimes rode a donkey because pain kept him from walking. His ailments kept Gaudi from playing with other children.

As a result, he spent long hours alone. That gave him a chance to study animals, plants and especially the rock formations of Catalonia's mountainous setting.

Following Father

"Gaudi didn't consider architecture as separate from nature," Japanese filmmaker Hiroshi Teshigahara said in 1997.

The son of a coppersmith, Gaudi took an interest in the family workshop. He watched as his father hammered copper and bent iron.

Much of Gaudi's later success, says Hensbergen, came from an ability to work closely with craftsmen.

"He had a capacity bordering on genius to extract the best from assistants working in the decorative arts," Hensbergen wrote.

How so? When Gaudi came across talented craftsmen, he gave them free reign to come up with original designs in stone and wrought iron.

Gaudi didn't stand out in his early school years. The only subject he excelled at was geometry.

At 11, he studied at a school in an old convent, sparking an interest in religion. As a teenager, and in better health, Gaudi explored nearby shrines and medieval buildings.

"Originality means going back to our origins," Gaudi once said. "Anything created by human beings is already in the great book of nature."

In 1869, Gaudi moved to Barcelona to study architecture.

He frequented the library, seeking architecture books from France and England to broaden his horizons.

After earning a degree in architecture in 1878, he sought projects to prove himself. He developed cast-iron lampposts for Barcelona. He designed furniture for a wealthy glove manufacturer. He built a villa for a ceramic tile maker.

He didn't win all of his bids for public projects, he but didn't give up.

To make contacts in Barcelona's top social circles, Gaudi joined an organization devoted to Catalonia's artistic heritage. To make a good impression, he dressed well. A barber groomed his beard. He carefully designed a business card. Slowly he won more commissions, including a workers' housing project.

Gradual Steps

He kept his more eccentric ideas under wraps. He dabbled in traditional Moorish and Gothic-revival architectural styles.

As he gained more work, Gaudi let loose his distinctive style. He designed irregular buildings with curved lines. His buildings featured wavelike roofs and balconies.

He tilted arches and building columns at unusual angles to distribute stresses. "Gaudi's shapes are drawn out of his vision of nature's greatness," Teshigahara said.

Gaudi used mostly stone structures to mimic Catalonia's landscape. He employed broken ceramic tiles as mosaics or decoration.

He mixed colors to liven up buildings. "Nature does not present us with any object in monochrome, totally uniform in color," Gaudi said.

To finish off expensive projects, he needed wealthy clients. And he catered to their ambitions. He used materials and ornaments to create settings that seemed royal.

Even so, Gaudi always made sure his own naturalistic vision for buildings took priority.

This story originally ran Aug. 28, 2002, on Leaders & Success.