Antonio Gaudi was born in Reus (Spain) in 1852. He was a very sickly child, and suffered from rheumatism. His personalty was very shy and reserved. From the beginning he had always been a remarkable drawer. This allowed him to make the illustrations of a school magazine called Arlequin.
Gaudi’s father had to sell some land properties to be able to pay the studies of Antonio and his brother. Gaudi was not a good student. His interests were beyond the academic studies. He was imaginative, revolutionary. Elies ogent, the director of the Architecture College, said once: “I don’t know if we’ve given the degree to a genius or to a lunatic. Time will give the answer”. His politic ideas were those of the Utopian Socialism. He worked as a draftsman for important architects. This was a positive step to get contacts for later works. After some works, Gaudy traveled to Paris. There, in an exposition, he met Eusebi Güell, a wealthy industrialist that became a friend and patron for Gaudi. In 1833 he accepted to lead the project “Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia” (“Expiatory Temple of the Sacred Family”). But Gaudi changed the project completely, and devoted to it all his time until he died.
Gaudi was a man who felt a great passion for his work, so much that he even lived inside the buildings while they were in construction.
He was mainly a creative genius. The imaginative shapes forged in iron in the balconies, the buildings or the furniture… all that was born from the mind of the genius. Gaudi was a visionary and a vanguard artist. He loved all the kinds of architecture: Classical, Arabian, Egyptian, Indian, Persian, Chinese, Japanese, Gothic, Baroque… He took elements from all that and merged them in his works, mixing, without following any rules or established conventions. He let his imagination fly, and that made his artworks so special and unique. His works were free and his fantasy knew no limits.
His inspiration had its source in Nature. Gaudi said that in Nature there were logical shapes, strength and beauty. There were many who criticized him for his freedom of thought and his vanguard art. All that was perceived as a menace and an offense. Gaudi was more than a modernist architect and a creator of trends. He was a great artist, and his art obsessed him completely. In 1926, in a June 7th, he went for a walk like all days, and was run over by a streetcar. He was carrying no documents to identify him. His clothes were old, and had not very good appearance, so they thought he was a beggar, and took him to a Hospital for poor people. A priest recognized him. Three days after, he died.
Between his most remarkable works there are: Casa Vicens (1883–1885), Palau Güell (1885–1889), College of the Teresianas (1888–1890), Crypt of the Church of Colònia Güell (1898–1916), Casa Calvet (1899–1904), Casa Batlló (1905–1907), Casa Milà (La Pedrera) (1905–1907), Park Güell (1900–1914), and Sagrada Familia (1884–1926), although this last one is still in construction.
Antonio Gaudi, one of the most brilliant architects that have ever been.
ANTONI GAUDÍ (1852-1926)
Yaaa…sedikit kutipan artikel yang saya ambil dari sebuah alamat website (maaf, tidak mencantumkan alamatnya) karena saya sangat tertarik dengan hasil karya Mbah Gaudi yang sangat artistik dan unik. Mungkin saya bukan orang yang mengerti tentang seni dan bukan orang yang bergerak pada bidang tersebut, tapi saya pernah berkeinginan untuk menjadi sepertinya, seorang arsitek. (hehe sudah saya pendam dalam-dalam keinginan itu).
Andaikan saya masih sempat bertemu dengannya dan berguru padanya….
Akan tetapi dia termasuk orang yang saya kagumi karyanya dan seseorang yang membuat saya ingin berkunjung ke tempat dimana hasil karyanya tersebut berdiri dan dirawat.
Yaaa..dirawat!
Kritikan atau lebih tepatnya masukan untuk tanah airku tercinta agar lebih merawat dan melestarikan hasil kesenian pribumi. Entah apapun hasil karya itu, bagaimanapun juga, kesenian pribumi adalah aset negara yang tidak dapat diperjual belikan. (betul??)
Ciri khas dari sebuah negara yang tidak dimiliki oleh negara lain. Apa jadinya jika negara kita tidak punya keunikan dan kekhasan sendiri??lalu dimana letak kebanggaan anak bangsa??
(hmm..tapi saya cukup bingung apakah hal ini berlaku juga untuk ciri yang tidak baik?seperti korupsi mungkin..??hmm..entahlah)
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