An impulse of modernity
Between the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, a period marked by technical progress and relative economic prosperity, several European countries saw the emergence of an artistic movement that sought to break away from the prevailing academicism. Depending on the country, it was called Art Nouveau in France and Belgium, Modern Style in Great Britain and the United States, Jugendstil in Germany or Liberty in Italy. In Spain, it was known asModernismo(Modernism in Catalan).
Associated with the concepts of modernity and progress, Modernism developed in Catalonia thanks to the elites born of the Industrial Revolution. After promoting the Renaixença - the Catalan cultural renaissance - this new bourgeoisie asserted its desire to situate Barcelona in a modern European context, or in the words of writer Joan Fuster, to transform "a traditionalist regional culture into a modern national culture".
The first modernist buildings appeared in 1888 at the Barcelona Universal Exhibition. The Arc de Triomf and the Castle of the Three Dragons, in the Parc de la Ciutadella, mark the beginnings of this modernist revolution. But it was above all the creation of the Eixample that allowed Modernism to flourish. This district, designed by urban planner Ildefons Cerdà in the 1860s, was a planned "extension" of the city center, following the destruction of Barcelona's city walls (1854-1856).
Designed on a grid plan, with perfectly identical residential blocks, the Eixample unfolds around the Passeig de Gràcia, the main axis of the new city. From 1890 onwards, this elegant promenade became the residential heart of the upper middle class and the showcase of Catalan Modernism. Thanks to patronage, splendid buildings by Gaudí, Puig i Cadafalch and Domènech i Montaner were built here between 1890 and 1920. The confrontation of their genius can be seen on the Illa de la Discòrdia, where Casa Amatller (no. 41) and Casa Batlló (no. 43) stand side by side.
Characteristic features of Modernism
Partly influenced by Arts and Crafts, an Anglo-Saxon movement advocating the revival of craftsmanship, Modernism shared many affinities with Art Nouveau and its various European variants: a desire for creative freedom, curved lines, a taste for ornamental richness and the forms of nature. In Catalonia, the singularity of the movement and its artists was such that "Catalan Modernism" was soon considered an autonomous movement.
References to medieval architecture are one of the hallmarks of early Modernism. Examples include the Casa de les Punxes, a Gothic castle towering over the avinguda Diagonal, and the Casa Martí (1895-1896), recognizable by its neo-Gothic lines. But far from copying this medieval language, Modernist architects transcended it by combining traditional Catalan construction methods with materials typical of the industrial age. Catalan vaulting and wrought iron are combined with brickwork, ceramics and industrial glass.
Another distinctive feature of Catalan Modernism is the use of forms and motifs borrowed from nationalism. The recurring presence of the Senyera (Catalan flag) and the representation of Sant Jordi and the dragon are the best examples. The facade of Casa Amatller features a superb Sant Jordi sculpted by Eusebi Arnau. The roof of Casa Batlló, similar to the dragon's spine, and the ceramic Sant Jordi that crowns Casa de les Punxes, are among the city's finest examples.
The great modernist architects
Among the leading exponents of Modernism, three names stand out in the Catalan landscape: Lluís Domènech i Montaner, Josep Puig i Cadafalch and Antoni Gaudí. From the historicism of their beginnings, each perfected his own language and evolved towards a singular style. Their works illustrate a profound formal research, positioning the city of Barcelona at the forefront of artistic creation.
Lluís Domènech i Montaner (Barcelona 1850-1923) played a major role in the spread of Modernism from his position at Barcelona's École Technique Supérieure d'Architecture, of which he was director from 1900. He was also the author of an article published in 1878 in the magazine La Renaixença, "In search of a national architecture", in which he theorized the premises of Catalan Art Nouveau. His major works bear witness to an architectural fantasy that has few equals elsewhere. In Barcelona, he designed the Montaner i Simón publishing house (1885), now home to the Museu Antoni Tàpies, and the café-restaurant at the Universal Exhibition (1888), a feudal castle better known as the Castell dels tres Dragons (Castle of the Three Dragons), or the Casa Lleó i Morera (1902), adorned with balconies and capitals in plant motifs, and topped by elegantly carved battlements surmounted by a turret.
Themodernist Sant Pau Enclosure (1902-1912), a veritable garden city made up of forty-eight pavilions linked by streets and underground passages, is adorned with sculptures by Eusebi Arnau and Pablo Gargallo, set against a brick and mosaic background. But his most famous work remains the Palau de la Música Catalana (1905-1908), a temple to Catalan music and a jewel of Modernism, where the alliance between architecture and decorative arts reached its apogee. Built in brick, the building is a delight of stained glass, mosaics and delicate sculptures designed by Eusebi Arnau. These two buildings, listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, are among the finest contributions to Barcelona's architecture.
Josep Puig i Cadafalch (Mataró, 1867 - Barcelona, 1956) is considered the last representative of Catalan Art Nouveau. A disciple of Lluís Domènech i Montaner, he produced his greatest modernist works during the first stage of his architectural career (1895-1905), before turning to rationalism and monumentalism. This art historian, passionate about the Middle Ages and Romanesque art in particular, drew on the medievalist imaginary to create his works, while giving a fundamental place to the decorative arts.
He designed Casa Martí (1895-96), a fabulous residence inspired by Northern European Gothic, which became a stronghold of artistic bohemia with the opening of the Els Quatre Gats tavern in 1897. He was also responsible for the Casa de Les Punxes, a Flemish Gothic-style building whose turrets rise like spikes(punxes) into the Barcelona sky. With the Palau Baró de Quadrás, built between 1904 and 1906, Josep Puig i Cadafalch reinterpreted the Gothic facades of northern Europe. Here too, the collaboration with sculptor Eusebi Arnau highlights the importance of the decorative arts in the Modernist imagination. The building's interior is much more eclectic, with a certain Arab influence.
The Fàbrica Casaramona, home to the CaixaForum cultural center, is a fine example of Modernist aesthetics applied to industrial architecture. This former textile factory at the gateway to Montjuïc blends Gothic and Mudejar influences, with its high, minaret-like towers. Another example of industrial architecture, the Caves Codorniu in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, incorporates the innovative techniques of Catalan vaults and parabolic arches. But his most remarkable work is undoubtedly Casa Amatller, on Passeig de Gràcia. Completed in 1900, this marvelous residence evokes the Flemish Gothic style, with its mosaic-covered gables.
Gaudí, the mystical genius
Antoni Gaudí (Reus, 1852-Barcelona, 1926) is the most famous representative of Catalan Modernism, and a key figure in the history of contemporary architecture. His work, most of which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is as much the result of historical borrowings as of formal audacity. Born into a modest family, he studied architecture in Barcelona, receiving his first major commission in 1883 with the Casa Vicens, a veritable oriental-inspired palace, recognizable by its polychrome facade adorned with earthenware tiles. The same year, he took charge of work on the Sagrada Familia, a mammoth project to which he devoted his entire life, and the starting point of a meteoric professional rise.
His meeting with the wealthy industrialist Eusebi Güell gave free rein to his creative genius. The two men, who shared the same nationalist and Catholic values, began a prolific collaboration based on mutual admiration. Witness the Pavellons Güell (1884-1887), whose dragon-shaped portal is a masterpiece of ironwork; the Palau Güell (1886-1890), a residence of extreme refinement, imagined as the patron's principal residence; the Colonia Güell, whose crypt (1908-1915) was the testing ground for a number of innovative techniques later applied on the Sagrada Familia construction site; and of course the Parc Güell, a marvellous unfinished garden city, whose little dragon and undulating bench covered in trencadís are today icons of Barcelona.
On Passeig de Gràcia, Gaudí gave free rein to his imagination to remodel Casa Batlló (1904-1907), whose extraordinary façade is adorned with mosaic splinters and organically shaped balconies that earned it the nickname "House of Bones". Almost opposite, La Casa Milà - La Pedrera (1906-1912) stands out for its use of a free-form plan: thanks to a load-bearing structure made of pillars and beams, the facade is freed from any structural constraints, and imposes itself, immense, like an undulating mass of stone. It was the last public work by Gaudí, who then devoted himself exclusively to his unfinished masterpiece, La Sagrada Familia.
A visit to the basilica is a must if you want to understand the architect's genius and devotion. From 1914 until his death in 1926, he devoted himself body and soul to its construction, even moving into his studio during the last months of his life. The architect, whose style was often described as "naturalist", drew more than ever on nature to design the space and structure of his works. The immense forest of columns in the nave of the basilica, branching out at the top like the branches of a tree, is a case in point.
Gaudí died on June 10, 1926, following a tragic accident. The old ascetic was on his way to the church of Sant Felip Neri to attend mass when he was hit by a streetcar. He was so poorly dressed that he was mistaken for a pauper. Only the crypt - where his body is buried - and the façade of the Nativity were completed during his lifetime. Work on the Sagrada Familia continues unabated, with completion scheduled for 2026, the centenary of the architect's death.
To find out more about Gaudí's work, download the "Gaudí's Barcelona" application from the tourist office website. Several local agencies also offer guided tours in French on the theme of Gaudí and Modernism, including Ma Barcelone and its "Barcelona Modernista" itinerary. Finally, don't hesitate to consult the website and publications of Ruta del Modernisme (rutadelmodernisme.com), a valuable source of information on Catalan Art Nouveau, available in French. The site lists some 120 monuments to discover in Barcelona, as well as a selection of works to see in the city's surroundings.
