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Antoni Gaudi: Catalan Architect Essay

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Antoni Gaudi was a Catalan architect from Spain who lived from 1852-1826 and was the master of Catalan Modernism. Most of Gaudi’s work was marked by his 3 passions of life; religion, nature and architecture. His works show various unique styles that he attained through researching natural forms and employing them in his buildings while studying every detail of his creations, assimilating into his design every innovative design solution. He was influenced by Neo-Gothic art and became a main part of the Modernisme movement, even though his works transcended the design of mainstream Modernisme. He used organic styles inspired by forms he found in nature and rarely drew plans, instead much preferring to use models and 3D moulding. His works…show more content…
This can be seen in the crypt and apse of the Sagrada Familia but eventually Gaudi started a more personal phase with organic design inspired by nature which he would employ in his later works.
Gaudi spent 1875-1878 serving his compulsory military service in Barcelona as a Military Administrator, with most of it on sick leave, allowing him to continue with his drawing and studies. He studied architecture at the Barcelona Higher School of Architecture and the Llotja School and graduated in 1878. To pay for his studying expenses he worked as a draughtsman for various constructors and architects such as Leandre Serrallach, Fransisco de Paula Villar y Lozano and Joan Martorell. As well as architecture, Gaudi studied history, philosophy, economics and French with average grades and occasionally failing courses. Through studying a broad array of disciplines, Gaudi was able to study photographs of Persian, Mayan, Chinese, Egyptian, Japanese and Indian art owned by the school. He also studied several books from the school’s library as well as ornamental and structural solutions from Nazari and Mudejar art, using them in variation and with stylistic freedom in his work. Gaudi observed spatial uncertainty in Islamic design with its concepts of structures with limitless space, fragmented with holes and partitions in sequence.
The style that undoubtedly
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