{{Infobox Architect
| image=Antoni Gaudi 1878.jpg
| caption=Antoni Gaudí in 1878
| name=Antoni Gaudí
| birth_date={{birth date|1852|6|25}}
| birth_place=[[Reus]], or [[Riudoms]]<ref name="Bergos">See, in [[Catalan language|Catalan]], [[Juan Bergós Massó]], ''Gaudí, l'home i la obra'' ("Gaudí: The Man and his Work"), [[Technical University of Catalonia|Universitat Politècnica de Barcelona]] (Càtedra Gaudí), 1974 - ISBN 84-600-6248-1, section "Nacimiento" (Birth), pp. 17-18.</ref><ref name="gaudiclub1">{{cite web
| url=http://www.gaudiclub.com/ingles/i_vida/i_vida.asp
| title= Biography at Gaudí and Barcelona Club, page 1
| accessdate=2005-11-05
}}</ref>
| death_date={{death date and age|1926|6|10|1852|6|25}}
| death_place=[[Barcelona]], ([[Catalonia]], [[Spain]])
| practice_name was arti'cimo=
| significant_buildings=[[Sagrada Família]], [[Casa Milà]], [[Casa Batlló]]
| significant_projects=[[Park Güell]], [[Colònia Güell]]
| awards=
|}}
'''Antoni Plàcid Guillem Gaudí i Cornet''' ([[Riudoms]] or [[Reus]], [[25 June]] [[1852]] – [[Barcelona]], [[10 June]] [[1926]]) – sometimes referred to by the [[Spanish language|Spanish]] translation of his name, '''Antonio Gaudí''' – was a [[Spain|Spanish]] [[Catalonia|Catalan]] [[architecture|architect]], who belonged to the [[Modernisme]] ([[Art Nouveau]]) movement and was famous for his unique style and highly individualistic designs.

==Biography==
===Birthplace===
Gaudí was born in the [[Tarragona (province)|province of Tarragona]] in southern [[Catalonia]], [[Spain]] in 1852. While there is some dispute as to his birthplace &ndash; official documents state that he was born in the town of [[Reus]], whereas others claim he was born in [[Riudoms]], a small village {{convert|3|mi|km|0}} from [[Reus]],<ref name="gaudiclub1">{{cite web
| url=http://www.gaudiclub.com/ingles/i_vida/i_vida.asp
| title= Biography at Gaudí and Barcelona Club, page 1
| accessdate=2005-11-05
}}</ref> &ndash; it is certain that he was [[baptism|baptized]] in Reus a day after his birth. The artist's parents, Francesc Gaudí Serra and Antònia Cornet Bertran, both came from families of metalsmiths.

The youngest of five, Gaudí found he was too lame to play with friends his own age because of [[rheumatism]]. (Some believe he only had arthritis in his hands and could, in fact, take walks.) Because he was in considerable pain, he was rarely able to walk on foot and was forced to ride a donkey when he wanted to venture from his home. The fact that he remained close to home allowed him substantial free time to inspect [[nature]] and its design.<ref name="gaudiclub1"/> It has been hypothesized that it was this exposure to nature at an early age that began to hone two of his greatest qualities: observation and the analysis of nature.<ref name="artehistoria">{{cite web
| url = http://www.artehistoria.com/arte/personajes/6764.htm
| title=Biography at ArteHistoria
| language=Spanish
| accessdate=2005-11-09
}}</ref>

===Higher education===
Gaudí, as an architecture student at the Escola Tècnica Superior d'Arquitectura in [[Barcelona]] from 1873 to 1877, achieved only mediocre grades but did well in his "Trial drawings and projects"<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.gaudiclub.com/ingles/i_vida/i_vida.asp
| title= Biography at Gaudí and Barcelona Club, page 2
| accessdate=2005-11-05
}}</ref> After five years of work, he was awarded the title of architect in 1878. As he signed Gaudí's title, Elies Rogent declared, "Qui sap si hem donat el diploma a un boig o a un geni: el temps ens ho dirà" ("Who knows if we have given this diploma to a nut or to a genius. Time will tell.")

The newly named architect immediately began to plan and design and would remain affiliated with the school his entire life .

===Early career===
* 1878–1879: Lampposts for the [[Plaça Reial]] at Barcelona;
* 1878: Showcase for glove manufacturer Comella. Via this work, used at the [[Exposition Universelle (1878)|World's Fair in Paris]], [[Eusebi Güell]] came to know the architect.<ref name="gaudiclub4">{{cite web
| url=http://www.gaudiclub.com/ingles/i_vida/i_vida4.asp
| title=Biography at Gaudí and Barcelona Club, page 4
}}</ref>
* 1878–1882: Several designs for the ''Obrera Mataronense'' at [[Mataró]]. Only a very small part of these plans was built, but it shows Gaudí's first use of parabolic arches, here in a ''wooden'' structure.
* 1883–1885: [[Casa Vicens]];
* 1883–1885: Villa "[[El Capricho]]" at [[Comillas]] ([[Santander, Cantabria|Santander]]);
* 1884: [[Finca Güell]]: Entrance pavillion and stables for the palace at [[Pedralbes]] (first completed building for Eusebi Güell);
* 1884–1891: Completion of the crypt of the [[Sagrada Família]] (the crypt had been started by the architect Francisco del Villar in 1882, who had to abandon the project in 1883);
* 1885–1889: [[Palau Güell]];
* 1887–1893: Episcopal palace at [[Astorga, Spain|Astorga]];
* 1889–1894: [[Colegio Teresiano]];
* 1891–1893: Outer walls of the absis of the [[Sagrada Família]];
* 1892–1894: [[Casa de los Botines]] at [[León, Spain|León]].

==Artistic style==
[[Image:Sagradafamilia-overview.jpg|thumb|right|Gaudí's unfinished masterpiece, ''[[Sagrada Família]]'']]

Gaudí's first works were designed in the style of [[gothic architecture|gothic]] and traditional Spanish architectural modes, but he soon developed his own distinct sculptural style. French architect [[Eugene Viollet-le-Duc]], who promoted an evolved form of gothic architecture, proved a major influence on Gaudí. But the student surpassed the master architect and contrived highly original designs – irregular and fantastically intricate. Some of his greatest works, most notably ''La Sagrada Família'', have an almost hallucinatory power.

[[Image:Gaudi Arch.jpg|thumb|left|Arch and spiral staircase.]]

He integrated the [[catenary]] [[arch]] and [[hyperboloid structure]]s, nature's organic shapes,<ref name=works>[http://me-wserver.mecheng.strath.ac.uk/group2003/groupl/Inspirational%20people/Antoni%20Gaudi_files/Antoni%20Gaudi.htm The Works of Gaudi], retrieved [[2007-04-03]]</ref> and the fluidity of water into his architecture. While designing buildings, he observed the forces of [[gravity]] and related catenary principles.<ref name=roth>{{cite book
| first=Leland M.
| last=Roth
| year=1993
| title=Understanding Architecture: Its Elements, History and Meaning
| edition=First
| publisher=Westview Press
| location=Boulder, CO
| id=ISBN 0-06-430158-3
| pages=452-4
}}</ref> (Gaudí designed many of his structures upside down by hanging various weights on interconnected strings or chains, using gravity to calculate catenaries for a natural curved arch or vault.<ref name=works/>)

Using the ''[[trencadís]]'' technique, Gaudí often decorated surfaces with broken tiles.<ref name=roth/>

The architect's work was categorized as [[Art Nouveau]] architecture, a precursor to [[modern architecture]]. But his adoption of biomorphic shapes rather than orthogonal lines put him in a category unto himself (in Latin, ''[[sui generis]]'').

== Popularity ==
Gaudí's originality was at first ridiculed by his peers. Indeed, he was first only supported by the rich industrialist [[Eusebi Güell]]. His fellow citizens referred to the ''Casa Milà'' as ''La Pedrera'' ("the quarry"), and [[George Orwell]], who stayed in Barcelona during the [[Spanish Civil War]], admittedly loathed his work. As time passed, though, his work became more famous, up to the point that he is now considered one of history's most original architects{{Fact|date=October 2007}}.

==Social and political influences==
The opportunities afforded by Catalonia's socioeconomic and political influences were endless. Catalans such as Antoni Gaudí often showcased the region's diverse art techniques in their works. By mimicking nature, such artists symbolically pushed back the province's ever-increasing industrial society.

Gaudí, among others, promoted the [[Catalan nationalism|Catalan movement]] for regaining sovereignty from Spain by incorporating elements of Catalan culture in his designs.<ref name=roth/>. Gaudí was involved in politics since he supported the Catalanist political party ''[[Regionalist League]]''. For example, in 1924 Spanish authorities (ruled by the dictator [[Miguel Primo de Rivera|Primo de Rivera]]) closed [[Barcelona]]'s churches in order to prevent a nationalist celebration (September 11th, [[National Day of Catalonia]]), Gaudí attended to Saints [[Justus and Pastor]]'s church and was arrested by the Spanish police for answering in Catalan <ref>[http://hubpages.com/hub/antonio_gaudi]</ref> <ref>[http://www.gaudiallgaudi.com/AA002crono.htm]</ref>.

==Major works==
[[Image:Parcguell.jpg|thumb|right|View of the [[Park Guell|Park Güell]], [[El Carmel]], [[Barcelona]].]]
* ''[[Casa Vicens]]'' (1878–1880)
* ''[[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 Guell|Park Güell]]'' (1900–1914)
* ''[[Sagrada Família]]'' Nativity façade and Crypt of the Sagrada Família cathedral (1884–1926)

See also the [[List of Gaudi Buildings]].

==Influence==
*Gaudí's abandoned plans for [[Hotel Attraction|a New York skyscraper hotel]] were re-proposed for the redesign of the [[World Trade Center]] after the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]].<ref name="scraper">[http://www.gaudi2002.bcn.es/english/noticia/noti89.htm The Hotel Attraction project is a candidate for the New York World Trade Center site].</ref>
*In 1992, five artists founded La Asociación pro Beatificación de Antoni Gaudí. The secular association has since pushed for the [[Roman Catholic church]] to [[beatification|declare Gaudí blessed]].<ref name=beatify>Playà Maset, Josep. "The Vatican initiates the beatification process for Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí", in ''[[La Vanguardia]]'', Barcelona, [[12 March]] [[2000]]. [http://www.gaudiclub.com/ingles/i_links/i_beat4.asp Reproduced at Gaudí and Barcelona Club]. Retrieved [[9 November]] [[2005]].</ref>
*Gaudí's life and work inspired [[The Alan Parsons Project]] to create the 1987 album ''[[Gaudi (album)|Gaudí]]''.
* There are striking similarities between the work of Gaudí and that of [[Friedensreich Hundertwasser]], mainly in the latter man's [[Biomorphic architecture|biomorphic]] forms and use of tile.

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* Martinell, César. ''Antoni Gaudí''. Barcelona, 1975 (English edition).

==External links==
{{Commons|Antoni Placid Gaudí i Cornet}}
* [http://www.casabatllo.es/ Casa Batllo] (multilingual; requires [[Adobe Flash]])
* [http://www.sagradafamilia.org/ Sagrada Família] (multilingual)
* [http://www.lapedreraeducacio.org/ La Pedrera] (multilingual; requires [[Adobe Flash]])
* [http://www.gaudidesigner.com/uk/index.html Gaudi: Designer] (in English and French)
* {{PDF|[http://www.business.otago.ac.nz/SIRC05/conferences/2001/05_burry.pdf Hyperboloid structures by Gaudi]|420&nbsp;[[Kibibyte|KiB]]<!-- application/pdf, 430845 bytes -->}}
* {{Structurae person|id=d000014|name=Antoni Plàcid Gaudí i Cornet}}
* {{dmoz|Arts/Architecture/History/Architects/G/Gaud%c3%ad,_Antoni/}}
* [http://www.gaudiallgaudi.com/AA002.htm Antoni Gaudí i Cornet]
* {{PDF|[http://webs.racocatala.cat/cat1714/d/gaudi.pdf Gaudí's arrest]|142&nbsp;[[Kibibyte|KiB]]<!-- application/pdf, 145408 bytes -->}} {{ca}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaudi, Antoni}}
[[Category:1852 births]]
[[Category:1926 deaths]]
[[Category:Architects]]
[[Category:Art Nouveau]]
[[Category:Art Nouveau architects]]
[[Category:Catalan architects]]
[[Category:Spanish vegetarians]]
[[Category:Modernisme]]
[[Category:Road accident deaths in Spain]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic Church art]]
[[Category:Spanish Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:Spanish architects]]

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