‘Men may be divided into two types: men of words and men of action. The first speak, the latter act. I am of the second group. I lack the means to express myself adequately. I would not be able to explain to anyone my artistic concepts. I have not concretised them. I have never had the time to reflect on them. My hours have been spent in my work.’
Although statements by artists, architects, composers and writers as well as other public figures need to be read with a critical attention to detail, this statement contains more than a grain of truth. Firstly, except for some youthful writings produced between 1876 and 1881, Gaudí demonstrated no concern to theorise his architecture.
11. Gaudí’s Writing desk.
Nor did he become a teacher in the academic or university sense, except in the very practical sense of instructing and working alongside his team of assistants, fellow architects and other craftsmen.
Secondly, Gaudí never allowed himself enough time away from the many projects he worked on to analyse the ideas that shaped his working practice.
However, there are a scattering of statements from Gaudí from the final decade of his life which, together with the early writings, offer suggestive insights into his buildings, as will be seen later.
A curious autobiographical statement by Gaudí is the desk that he designed and had built for himself in 1878. It is one of the few objects in his whole oeuvre that combines a personal written statement with drawings.
Unfortunately, the desk itself is only known through photographs. The desk is a refined advertisement of his skills as a designer, in which capacity he would soon undertake a number of commissions. It also shows his interest in combining decoration with architectural elements.
In his writing he provides a detailed account of the many elements that made up this desk, such as many animals, plants and other organic forms. An important principle for combining decoration with the structural elements of the desk is explicitly made in his description of it:
‘It frequently occurs that when ideas are combined with one another they diminish and are obscured. Simplicity gives them importance.’
Even in the complexity of the Sagrada Familia, Gaudí’s ability to maintain dialectic between simplicity of form and the richness of his ideas would be upheld.
Gaudí certainly appears to have been consistent to the few principles he did clearly state.
While his architectural skills were being learnt, tested and refined Gaudí swiftly made the transition to the customs and fashions of Barcelona and its student community. Anecdotes record Gaudí’s well dressed and manicured image during his student days.
The extra paid work he took on was perhaps encouraged by the social pressures to maintain this fashionable image, and it seems probable that a coppersmith’s son would feel proud to be well dressed.
Gaudí’s sartorial elegance has been subjected to critical scrutiny by biographers for the contrast they offer to his later ascetic life.
However, the fact that he discarded the suits and dressed in a humble manner is more significant than the fact that he wore them and the best indication of what Gaudí would become is best shown by his dedication to work.
In addition, personal appearance would have been influential in making his way in Barcelona society, especially amongst his prospective patrons.
Gaudí’s 1878 design for a business card is worth noting in this regard too. The elegant art nouveau script with the floral flourishes on the letter ‘A’ is a subtle promotion of his skills.
The friendships and professional relationships Gaudí made show how his skills and intelligence were swiftly recognised in Barcelona. He designed a house for his close friend and medical advisor Dr. Santaló.
In comparison to the more rigid class system of Britain it is interesting to see how the son of provincial boilermaker could strike up a relationship with one of Barcelona’s wealthiest men, Don Eusebio Güell.
Statements by Gaudí about Güell suggest the relationship was marked by deference on the architect’s part, yet they shared common interests in the culture and heritage of Catalonia, and of course, in architecture.
12. Finca Güell, Entrance gate column detail.
13. Finca Güell, Wall tile detail.
Architecture and Catalan Identity
As well as Gaudí’s headstrong character and individualism which emerged in his student years, so too did his commitment to the defence of Catalan culture and tradition. With time his architecture would become an expression of this, however it was a sentiment he supported in other ways too. From his youthful interest in the history of Catalonia Gaudí developed into a staunch defender of the region and its values, which he remained even in the final years of his life. In 1920, when the police attempted to prevent a traditional literary contest, he took a beating from their truncheons and then turned to shout insults in response. Four years later he was arrested for protesting against the police’s obstruction of the celebration of a mass in honour of eighteenth-century Catalan martyrs.
Gaudí was not involved in political action against the police and state all of his life. With Spain’s unstable political situation subject to periodic change so too was support for Catalan autonomy, and the freedom to celebrate its values. In any case over the course of his life he shied away from direct political action. In 1907, when the political party Solidaritat Catalana was attracting great support, pressure was put on the architect to contribute to the political sphere. At that time he was working on his last great domestic project, the Casa Milà. He refused to be distracted from his work. For Gaudí, politics were understood in a broad cultural sense and intimately related with his architecture.
Furthermore, during this period which witnessed the development of revolutionary political movements, Gaudí maintained a conservative position. He was certainly no advocate of violence. The mixture of his nationalist sentiment, conservative concern for tradition, and religious views produced a paternalistic view of society. He frequently asserted his respect and commitment to the working classes, but believed that it was the duty of the employers and Church to assure decent working and living conditions and social order based on Christian morality. Perspectives of Gaudí’s views of society are best judged from the different buildings he designed for the wealthy patrons and their workers, the church authorities and their congregation. The year after Gaudí qualified as an architect he joined a more peaceful organisation devoted to the Catalonia’s cultural traditions. This was the Associació Catalinista d’Excursiones Científicas. The aims of the organisation, established in 1876, were broad. As the name suggests, its central activity was visiting the countryside and sites of cultural interest. It is a good example of the nineteenth-century belief in a healthy body and a healthy mind, as well as the middle-class suspicion that city life could have harmful effects on one’s moral condition. Walking in the countryside and visiting sites of historical interest with like-minded male companions was the solution to the latter. The association also had a clubhouse in the centre of Barcelona with a library, which was the venue for lectures on the diversity of Catalonia’s culture as well as aspects of its economy. Both were important factors in Catalonia’s claim for independence. On the day of St George, the patron saint of Barcelona, the clubhouse was the focus of patriotic celebrations.
Gaudí’s first ‘excursion’ with the association was to Barcelona’s cathedral, not too exhausting a journey by foot! Subsequent visits went further afield. In different ways Gaudí’s participation in this organisation contributed to his architecture. The most obvious connection is through all the visits made to look at and study buildings. However,