Forging Gaudí: Buildings that polished a universal design (I)
Talking about Gaudí is to talk about Barcelona and with it, its main landscapes: the Sagrada Familia, Casa Batlló, La Pedrera, Park Güell... But these are not the only works attributable to him, nor does Barcelona hold a monopoly on his work. Although the peak of his career is concentrated in the buildings mentioned above, Gaudí has a number of earlier creations that served as a testing ground to forge and develop an architectural style that set a precedent and ultimately went down in history. Let's review them!
El Capricho, Comillas (Cantabria) (1883-1885)
There is only one first time, and although the groundbreaking for the works of Villa Quijano, also known as El Capricho (Comillas, Cantabria), coincided in time with that of Casa Vicens in 1883, the one in Cantabria has gone down in history as the first building designed by Gaudí, since its construction was completed in 1885, three years before the summer residence of the Vicens family. The building was commissioned by Máximo Díaz de Quijano, the brother-in-law of the first Marquis of Comillas, who in turn was the father-in-law of Eusebi Güell, Gaudí's great patron. Although originally named Villa Quijano, the residence came to be popularly known as El Capricho, as the commission was considered as such by the local people, who saw it as a display of ostentation and exuberance, typical of a 'indiano' like Quijano.
From the building, one can observe the Gaudí-inspired touch that is apparent from the outside, with its vibrant colors and sinuous shapes that make it a living building inspired by nature, where Gaudí begins to show signs of his full creative potential. Stone, exposed brick, glazed ceramics depicting sunflowers and leaves, or the emergence of curved surfaces are some of the elements of the Gaudí universe that can already be found in this unique building.
Casa Vicens
His first major work built in Barcelona. Forgotten by many, it has recently experienced a revival thanks to restoration and its opening as a house-museum at the end of 2017. Although overshadowed by El Capricho as Gaudí's first creation, it is indeed considered the first modernist work in Catalonia. In 1883, the stockbroker Manel Vicens i Montaner trusted the then young Gaudí to build his summer residence in the former town of Gracia.
Although currently the property is limited to the area of the house, about 30 meters in diameter, originally it was located on a plot of land of more than 1,000 m2, which also included a garden inspired by Mediterranean flora and fauna, with palm trees, climbing plants, magnolias, or roses. Years later, the house was extended, in a project carried out in 1925 by Joan Baptista Serra.
Classified as a Historic-Artistic Monument, since 2005 it has also been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Since its opening to the public, TIME magazine has recognized the site as one of the top 100 places to visit in the world.
Güell Pavilions
The first major work done by Gaudí for what would become his great patron, Eusebi Güell. In addition to the well-known Park Güell, this industrialist and prominent Barcelona figure gives his name to a whole series of constructions designed by Gaudí at his request. Güell trusted the genius from Reus to build a temple in his factory grounds (the crypt of Colonia Güell), his palace on Nou de la Rambla, or the Güell Wineries, as well as his Pedralbes estate. Thanks to all these constructions, the unique patron is now part of the history of our city, since without his financial support perhaps Gaudí's work would not have survived to the present day.
In 1883, Güell commissioned Gaudí to design the gardens for his summer palace – the current Royal Palace of Pedralbes. In addition to that, Gaudí also designed the entrance gates along the entire perimeter as well as the pavilions that provided access to the estate, the gatekeeper's house and the stables. Next to the pavilions, the beauty and uniqueness of its entrance gate on Pedralbes Avenue stands out, guarded by Ladon, the guardian dragon of the Garden of the Hesperides as told by Jacint Verdaguer in La Atlántida. Later, with the construction of Diagonal Avenue, the other gates of the estate lost their functionality and were relocated to nearby places, such as Les Corts cemetery or the Faculty of Pharmacy.
Güell Palace
Eusebi Güell commissioned Gaudí to create this urban palace to expand the family home they had on La Rambla. Built between 1886 and 1890, it is one of the great examples of domestic architecture within the context of Modernism. In other words, despite all its grandeur and ceremony, the building had to be fully functional since it was the Güell family's residence until they moved to Park Güell in the 20th century. In this vein, Gaudí designed a space where light and space became the main features, always with a functional vision that would adapt to the intense social life of a bourgeois family like the Güells. As he had done in previous works, Gaudí introduced traditional noble materials such as stone, wood, wrought iron, ceramics, or glass into this property on Nou de la Rambla street.
Although this creation is not usually included in Gaudí's Top-5, it also enjoys national and international recognition, as it has been declared a Historic-Artistic Monument, a Cultural Asset of National Interest, as well as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
In all the buildings proposed so far, Gaudí's imprint is easily recognizable, as many of his orientalist-style elements will also be present in the main works of his career, those corresponding to his mature phase. However, between those two periods, Gaudí developed another architectural style for which he is not so well-known, but which has left us equally unique works that are worth rescuing from oblivion. Although that will be in another publication.
