ArtNouveau_QueenningZhao_CatalanModernisme

Catalan Modernisme - Art Nouveau in Spain

It was nice having a class in Art Nouveau since I have moved to Barcelona and been amazed by the old architecture but not knowing much about them. 

The most famous architectures in Barcelona are all from the period Art Nouveau, also called Catalan Modernisme. With the political and economic background, the Modernisme was an expression of Catalonia’s strive for independence. This is a contrast to the art nouveau in other parts of Europe which was rather an expression of the Zeitgeist at the time. Catalan Modernisme began as a search for a national architecture, which is the title of an article by Luis Domènech i Montaner, the actual founder of the movement in Spain. In this article he outlined his theories of an independent Catalan architecture.

The architecture of the Modernisme is mainly coined by three architects: Lluís Domènech i Montaner who was the basic founder of the Modernisme, Josep Puig i Cadafalch and Antoni Gaudí.

The works of the Modernisme should always be viewed in the context of a nationalist attitude that stressed the independence of Catalonia. This is why the works contain countless hints and symbols of Catalan identity. Many historic forms and motives of Catalan folk art can be found in and on buildings of modernist patrons. Some examples are the usage of the Catalan coat of arms or the depiction of the Catalan patron Saint Jordi (George) and the legend of George which can be found in many works by Gaudí.

Casa Milá

All the great architecture from art nouveau in Spain are special in their own way and are worth taking a closer study, but I personally find Casa Milá to be the most outstanding one because of its wavy organic forms. 

Built by Antoni Gaudi for the Mila family between 1906 and 1910. The Pedrera or Mila House is one of the Gaudí’s residential buildings and one of the most imaginative houses of the history of the architecture, this building is more a sculpture than a building. Gaudi designed the Casa Milà exclusively with natural forms, in result not a single right angle can be found. It is one of Antoni Gaudí's last buildings, before he completely dedicated himself to the Sagrada Familia. The city of Barcelona announced right after the completion that the Casa Milà was a work of art. 

Queenning Zhao