An approach to architecture so particular and fantastic, that it almost seems unreal.
Park Güell, Barcelona
Who was Gaudí?
Antonio Gaudí I Cornet was a Catalan architect, internationally known as one of the greatest exponents of modernism. He was born on June 25 of 1852, in a family of coppersmiths. This allowed him to acquire a special ability to work with space and volume.
From an early age, he showed an interest in architecture. Because of this, he went to Barcelona, the most modern city in Spain at the time, to study architecture. And it is there, in Barcelona, where most of his great works are found today. Among them, his main masterpiece, the Sagrada Familia, and my personal favourites, Park Güel, and Casa Batló. However, he also has pieces in other Spanish cities, such as the Caprice in Comillas, or the Episcopal Palace in Astorga.
Episcopal Palace, Astorga 
Caprice, Comillas
Chains and arches: an astonishing method
His first projects were a set of lampposts for the Plaza Real in Barcelona, the Girossi kiosks, and the Mataró cooperative. This last one turned out to be his first major work since this was the first time that Gaudí experimented with parabolic arches, which ended up becoming one of the outstanding characteristics of his architecture.
For achieving these arches, he devoted ten years of his life to developing a “hanging chain” model. He designed a complex set of hanging chains that he installed on the ceiling and used weights and suspension ropes. The arched forms that resulted from the experiment were what he was looking for as an architectural form, by turning them upside down. This would be fundamental to work on his design for the Sagrada Familia.
Sagrada Familia, Barcelona
An impressive and magical architecture
Gaudí’s works are usually classified as modernist because of his desire to renew without breaking with tradition. Even though his modernist and Art nouveau influences are clear, his works have a very individualized and unique style.
My admiration for his work is mainly because I am a lover of everything that looks magical, fantastic, and I think that a work by Gaudí has that fairy tale essence. His works do not go unnoticed, they are something very different from what we are used to seeing daily. That is something I like when a visual work takes you out of everyday life, and for an instant, it transports you to another world.
Casa Batló, Barcelona
References
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoni_Gaud%C3%AD
https://www.biografiasyvidas.com/biografia/g/gaudi.htm
https://www.arteespana.com/antoniogaudi.htm
http://www.portalgaudi.cat/es/los-edificios/nau-gaudi-de-mataro/
https://www.liligo.es/magazine-viajes/obras-gaudi-fuera-cataluna-160141.html