Barcelona ~ Gaudi and Casa Batllo
- Bev Baraka
- Sep 12, 2023
- 6 min read
Updated: Sep 12, 2023
I cannot believe I did not have a blog on Barcelona - I must have lost it in the transfer of my files. So sad but I hope to make up for it here.
Antoni Gaudi - best ever architect
If you know anything about Barcelona, you know that Antoni Gaudi built amazing, other-worldly buildings throughout the city. The one I can't get enough of is Casa Batllo. As I read up on it I became more intrigued. Gaudi was innovative and admired but he was also considered eccentric. He was involved in a revival of the arts and his architectural style "became known as 'equilibrated' - a structure designed to stand on its own without internal bracing, external buttressing..." from the Britannica.com website.
Casa Batllo shown here, demonstrates this style. I
don't know the rationale for the multi-coloured plaster and roof tiles but he apparently went to great lengths to have his structures resemble nature, and the range of hews and textures does make you think of the beauty of nature. Many, even Salvadore Dali, see the facade as representing water - the blue colours, the sparkling ceramic fragments that catdh the light like sparkling water, the curves that are like waves and the disks that are like lilies on water. Gaudi's vision had no bounds and he created imaginative and bizarre structures, using his imagination to solve problems with any design challenge that interfered with the end product he wanted to achieve.
I was lucky enough to take a tour through the Casa Batllo twice and saw new delights each time. (tickets are now around US$ 35) The walls are smooth and rounded with openings blending into the curvature. Even the wood structures inside were unique and well matched to the interior design. From the outside you see the wavy window with sculpted bars
outside (like bones). You can see the glass has a design in the top part of it but you can only guess at what that design is. Then when you enter the building, (picture to right) you see it is a stained glass with disks of different colours. These disks show up throughout the building in different ways -- a repeating pattern or symbol. The same smooth plaster work seen outside is throughout the house with interesting arches and pillars.
The staircase is ephemeral almost - certainly not expected inside - as a type of spiral staircase but it disappears into the curved wall... take it to see where it leads. Up the stairs you get a look into an inner courtyard with curved windows and embellished walls. Windows at the top are small and they get larger as they descend, as a way to bring more light into the lower floors. Iron is also used to a certain extent in his buildings, to continue the design pattern and embellish the windows and walls as well as making a bridge between two balconies.
As you step onto the next floor, a hallway ahead is arched like you are in the ribcage of some huge beast. I wish I could see the whole, overall plan of the building and see whether the patterns are grouped or are they throughout the structure? There are straight edges (the doorway ahead) but those are always accompanied with an embellishment that gives the impression of curves and soft edges. You can enter some of the rooms but many are just empty, allowing you to enjoy the architectural uniqueness that might be found, whether it is in the windowsills, the floor tiles, the texture of the wall or the slope of the ceiling. This casa is a must see in Barcelona.
Ah, but you may think that is it. Not so. You CANNOT miss the roof. You can access it through the right set of stairs and when you exit onto the roof you are transported. The colours are vivid and the
textures are still evident. You have the Spanish tiles - I do not know if they are terracotta or clay. But the similarity to other buildings in the area ends there. The roof has balls or circles around the edge, I am not sure if they are lights. The walls look finished in small, multi-coloured tiles, giving an ombre effect. But that is not all. Once again, Gaudi creates an illusion of a fantastical beast. From one angle the tiles
look like scales but if you find the right angle to examine the roof, it is the back of a dragon! See for yourself in my photo. The multi-coloured tiles come up one side while the polished, scaly roof tiles finish off the other side. If you only look from one side (as the photo above) you don't get the effect of the backbone or crest of a dragon at all.
On the roof there are also weird and wonderfully shaped chimneys, hobbit like doors and areas of that smooth plaster. You just stand still and look around, in wonder that Gaudi was able to take an idea from his mind and truly show it in his structures. Amazing!
There is one more surprise on the roof - I missed this on my first visit. There is a small room with an eternal fountain smack dab in the middle which is the
middle of the dragon's belly. This used to house the water tank - hidden by Gaudi because they are normally ugly necessities on roofs. Now in the same spot is a small, eternal
fountain reminiscent of its previous watery existence. Light enters the room, reflecting off the water and dancing around the smooth walls in the everchanging ripples. Even with Gaudi gone, the owners added another whimsical feature to enhance his design.
One last thing to consider about Barcelona's Casa Batllo and Gaudi's design for this building. There are theories about what it represents - apparently he never shared his reason for the design and the imagery, so everything is speculation. At the time the residents of Barcelona hated it and laughed at it, they now love it and are amazed at the fantastical image it gives. The primary theory is that it is the story of Saint George (patron saint of Catalonia) killing the dragon for the princess. This one is representative of the time and it evokes a religious meaning that sits well on Gaudi.
The roof is the back of the dragon with the scales giving proof of that. The tower at the front with a cross at the top is believed to represent the sword of Saint George that was used to kill the dragon
and is now part of the building (or dragon) because it is embedded in the dragon still. There is a hole in the floor of the roof (I think part of the light that shines into the inner courtyard) that is the wound to the dragon. The columns at the front and along the windows resemble bones and are said to represent the bones of the victims previously killed by the dragon. And last, but not least, is the top balcony which is different from the rest. It is shaped like a flower - the rose (or flower) that represents the life of the princess and celebrates that the dragon was killed.
Photos taken within the house shown here - details and textures of Gaudi.
There are about fourteen buildings in Barcelona designed and built by Gaudi. This Casa Batllo is my favourite, but not far from this one is the 'House of Bones' now a bank. As soon as you see it you will know it is a Gaudi design. There are still apartments in this one and one can be toured - it has antique furniture as well, not barren like Casa Batllo. La Pedrera (Stone Quarry for it's stone facade) is worth a visit if you have the money for it, but I still prefer Casa Batllo.
Then there is the Park Guell, which is well worth a visit. It is a garden with bridges and tunnels that are Gaudi built. The house he lived in is in this park also and I feel like it is well worth a visit on a beautiful day since you get a view over Barcelona - or part of it. Super unique. There is a lot of walking with this one though if you are to see the whole park. Notice the amazing tiles, too!
I will do another blog entry for Sagrada Familia, the ever changing, amazing church. It deserves some attention and can definitely stand alone.
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