Designer of the Month: Antoni Gaudí

Antoni Gaudí (1852-1926) is one of those architects whose buildings are immediately recognizable. Although his designs are very much within the realm of the neo-Gothic, Gaudí's distinctive style and naturalistic qualities make his architecture utterly unique, and that uniqueness is why Gaudí is April's Designer of the Month. 

Antoni Gaudí

While he was born in Reus, Spain, Gaudí's architecture is synonymous with Barcelona - he moved to the city in 1868 to attend architecture school, and stayed until his death in 1926. His schooling, with its focus on neo-classical and romanticism, was typical for the time, with his early work drawing heaving from historical sources. It wasn't until later that Gaudí's work took on more of the Gothic Revival and Catalan Modernism styles that he's known for, in addition to his attempts to adapt the organic forms that he saw in nature into his work. Like many of the architect's we've looked at in this series, Gaudí was interested not just in creating a building, but he also had a hand in every aspect of its design, which included every detail from the stained glass to ironwork. He even introduced new techniques into his designs, such as the mosaic ceramics that are one of the hallmarks of some of his most famous work. This month, we'll take a look through Gaudí's life and career. I hope you'll join me.