ART NOUVEAU
Casa Batlló
Presented by Amritesh
ARCHITECT
ANTONI GAUDÍ
Antoni Gaudí was a Catalan architect and designer, known as the greatest
exponent of Catalan Modernisme. Gaudí's works have a sui generis style. Most
are located in Barcelona, including his main work, the Sagrada Família church.
Gaudí's work was influenced by his passions in life: architecture, nature, and
[Link] work combined crafts such as ceramics, stained glass, wrought
ironwork forging, and carpentry.
Under the influence of neo-Gothic art and Oriental techniques, Gaudí became
part of the Modernista movement
HISTORY
Originally, the building was built in Barcelona during 1877 by Emilio
Sala Cortés (one of Gaudí’s architecture professors).
In addition to Casa Batlló and at the same time, prominent
architects were also reforming other houses that, at the time, were
competing for the urban awards convened by the Barcelona City
Council. Therefore, this specific period was known as The Bone of
Contention.
In 1995, the family opened the house to the public and presented
this architectural gem to the world, offering the use of the building
for events. Since 2002, coinciding with the International Year of
Gaudí
COMPONENTS
ROOF
The roof terrace is one of the most
popular features of the entire house
due to its famous dragon back
design. Gaudí represents an
animal's spine by using tiles of
different colors on one side. The
roof is decorated with four chimney
stacks designed to prevent
backdraughts.
LOFT
The loft is considered to be one of the most unusual spaces. It was
formerly a service area for the tenants of the different apartments
in the building which contained laundry rooms and storage areas.
It contains a series of sixty catenary arches that
creates a space which represents the ribcage of
an animal. Some people believe that the
“ribcage” design of the arches is a ribcage for
the dragon's spine that is represented in the roof.
THE ATRIUM (LIGHT WELL)
The Atrium or the light well is in the central part of the house and
delivers air and lighting to all corners of the house. Gaudí had an
obsession with light and how it reflected off certain surfaces.
The well has windows with wooden splits to allow
them to be open and closed for ventilation.[8]
Gaudí wanted to make the bottom of the well
feel like the bottom of the sea. The skylight allows
light to come in and reflect off the ceramic tiles
into the windows to naturally illuminate the house.
EXTERIOR FAÇADE
The façade has three distinct sections which are harmoniously
integrated. The lower ground floor with the main floor and two
first-floor galleries are contained in a structure of Montjuïc
sandstone with undulating lines.
The top of the building is a crown, like a huge
gable, which is at the same level as the roof and
helps to conceal the room where there used to
be water tanks. This room is currently empty. The
top displays a trim with ceramic pieces that has
attracted multiple interpretations.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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