Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
KEY FEATURES OF MODERNISTA BUILDINGS
Parabolic archways
* Organic shapes (bones, branches, leaves, nautilus shells)
Fanciful chimney pots
Colourful, shimmering tiles
Budlike cone-shaped towers
Mosaic-covered surfaces
Sculptural details of flora and fauna
Tree-like columns
Exquisite details (stained glass, wrought iron, ceramic)
Playful historical references (dragons for Catalan patron saint, St George; Gothic-
style carvings for Barcelona's medieval past)
Puig i Cadafalch
Like Domènech i Montaner, Josep Puig i Cadafalch (1867-1956) was a polymath; he
was an archaeologist, an expert in Romanesque art and one of Catalonia's most prolific
architects. As a politician - and later president of the Mancomunitat de Catalunya
(Commonwealth of Catalonia) - he was instrumental in shaping the Catalan nationalist
movement.
One of his many Modernista gems is the Casa Amatller, a rather dramatic contrast to
Gaudí's Casa Batlló next door. Here the straight line is very much in evidence, as is the
foreign influence (the gables are borrowed from the Dutch). Blended with playful
Gothic-style sculpture, Puig i Cadafalch has designed a house of startling beauty and
invention.
