History of Casa Batlló
At number 43 on Paseo de Gracia, a street once linking the city to Villa de Gracia, which today is a completely integrated area of the city, Casa Batlló is situated.
Development of Paseo de Gracia
Paseo de Gracia has grown to be the backbone of Barcelona (known as the Cerdà Plan) since 1860, when an ambitious urban plan was approved. Here, Paseo de Gracia has attracted most significant families to settle. In this sense, the street evolved from a major car route to a promenade for walkers and horses in the 19th Century.
Originally constructed in 1877 by Emilio Sala Cortés, one of Gaudí’s architectural professors, the structure was completed while Barcelona lacked electric lighting. Purchased in 1903 by notable businessman Mr. Josep Batlló y Casanovas, a textile industrialist with multiple plants in Barcelona, it
The Bone of Contention
Apart from Casa Batlló, eminent architects were also changing other buildings that were vying for the urban prizes called by the Barcelona City Council at the same time. This particular era was hence referred to as The Bone of Contention. Along with Casa Batlló, these modernist homes also reflect their contemporary membership in a distinctive group shaped by:
- Designed by Josep Puig i Cadafalch, Casa Amatller
- Casa Lleó Morera by Lluís Domènech i Montaner.
- Enric Sagnier’s Casa Mulleras
- Casa Josefina Bonet, Marcel-li Coquillat.
Biography of Antoni Gaudi
The life of genius
Along with being one of the leading modernists, Antoni Gaudí I Cornet was a Catalan architect who has gained international recognition as one of the most outstanding masters in his field. His extraordinary ground-breaking brilliance made him the inventor of a singular, personal, and matchless architectural language that transcends definition.
Childhood of Antoni Gaudí
Some biographers say Antoni Gaudí was born in Reus on June 25, 1852; others assert he was born in Riudoms, a tiny village close by where his family spent their vacations. His family of boilermakers helped his father and grandparents at the family workshop, therefore enabling the young Gaudí to gain a unique ability for working with space and volume. His mastery of space design and material transformation developed and flourished until he finally turned into a real genius for three-dimensional creation.
Architectural studies
Moving to Barcelona to continue his architectural degree in 1870, he simultaneously worked at other jobs to help him pay for his education. Although he was a poor student, he was already displaying some signs of genius that would have opened doors for him and let him work with some of his teachers. “I do not know if they have awarded this degree to a madman or a genius; only time will tell,” the Director, Elies Rogent, said after he graduated from the School of Architecture in 1878. Undoubtedly, though, nobody could accept the young architect’s ideas with apathy or repeat what had already been done up to that point.
Barcelona and Modernism
Modernism is the artistic trend that most likely helped Barcelona’s character develop. They would not even recognise pre-modernist Barcelona if they could travel back in time to see it.
Origins of Modernism
Rising around the close of the 19th century, this mixed movement travelled over Europe. Actually, it goes by a number of various names: Art Nouveau (in France, Belgium, Spain and Hispanic America); Liberty or Floreale (in Italy); Jugendstil (in Germany and the Nordic nations); and Modernisme (in Catalonia).
Modernism developed with the purpose of producing a new, free and modern art, defying all past trends, as usually happens when a new trend starts. Moving away from academic traditions (such as historicism) and from unorthodox traditions (realism or impressionism) was the concept.
Interesting facts about Modernism in Barcelona
With a total of 9, of which 7 were produced by Antoni Gaudí, Barcelona is the city with the most modernist buildings on the World Heritage List, therefore concluding and underscoring the significance of modernism in Barcelona. Actually, the city hosts a “Modernism Walking Tour,” and if you go down the street and come upon a paving stone bearing the renowned “panot de flor,” sometimes known as the “flower of Barcelona” or “rose of Barcelona,” you will know whether you fall inside one of its primary sections. These flower-shaped paving stones have evolved into among the most recognisable and representative objects in the city. And one thing about Barcelona is that, even under your feet, art appears everywhere you least would have expected!
Explore the magical universe of Casa Batlló, where architectural genius blends vivid history. Enter this famous masterpiece and personally encounter Gaudí’s imaginative work. Whether your passion is architecture or tourism, Casa Batlló guarantees a unique trip across time and ideas. Plan your trip right now to experience one of Barcelona’s most amazing sites and let Casa Batlló enchant you!
