Gaudi: The Life of a Visionary by J. Castellar-Gassol

Gaudí's work was influenced by his passions in life: architecture, nature, and religion.

Gaudí's work enjoys global popularity and continuing admiration and study by architects. His masterpiece, the still-incomplete Sagrada Família, is the most-visited monument in Spain. Barcelona would never be what it is without Gaudi.

Visiting Barcelona and the beautiful creations of Gaudi, I came across this book in a gift shop in Parc Guell. The more I walked around the streets of the Catalonian capital, the more impressed I was by Gaudi’s creations. I wanted to know more also about the man who created such unique architectural designs. This book is short and offers little information. Still, I know more after reading it. Like many great people, Gaudi was a simple man with a vision, as says the subtitle of the book. He knew what he wanted, he had the talent. Despite all the barriers that life itself put in his way and his poor health, he managed to create ad leave such majestic works.

Gaudí is usually considered the great master of Catalan Modernism, but his works go beyond any one style or classification. They are imaginative works that find their main inspiration in nature. “For Gaudi, the theory of architecture was inseparable from the analysis of the laws of nature and religious symbolism,” says the author.

My rating: 4/5.
​
Find it on Goodreads

---