Thecityis a hotbedoficonic
design,includingthegolden
fish sculpture by Frank Gehry
CasaBatllóis
a whimsicalexample
oftheplayfulnessand
joy of Gaudí’s designssGaudí’s Barcelona
Thefamedarchitect’sworkisthe
cit y’smostrecognisablesignatureWhilesomecitiesarefortunateenough
tohavedevelopeda uniquearchitectural
identity,fewcangivesomuchofthe
credittoa singleman.Whenit comesto
Barcelona,however,there’snoquestion
thatit’strulythecityofAntoniGaudí.
Priortohisdeathin 1926,Gaudídesigned
manyofthecity’sgreatestarchitectural
landmarks,includingParkGüell,Palau
Güell,CasaMilà,CasaVicens,CasaBatlló,
thecryptin ColòniaGüell,andhisworkon
theNativityfaçadeandcryptofLaSagrada
Famíliabasilica.
Whiletechnicallystillunfinished,the
basilica,begunin 1882,is a primeexample
ofwhatmakesGaudí’sworksoentrancing.
Itsbalanceofthenaturalandartificial,
andthemannerin whichit useswhimsical
andplayfullinesandshapesdespitethe
inherentgravityofthestone,is striking.
Butit’sthisveryplayfulnessandwillingness
tousetheabnormal,unpredictableoreven
absurdthatattractsusmost.
CasaBatllómustbeconsideredone
ofthemosteye-catchingarchitectural
designsin thecity.Whereverone’seye
wanders,thereis wondertobehold.
Brightcoloursandshapes,inspiredby
marinelife,coverthestructure’sfaçade,
whichin itselfis a twisted,playfuldesign
ofcurvedbalconiesandroundedsubtle
archways,withbothtraditionallyrectangular
andpurposefullyimperfectoval-shaped
windows.—Keith Gordon