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Modernisme “Modernisme” refers to a style of architecture, art, and literature that prevailed primarily between the years of 1888 and 1929. Barcelona is particularly well known for its outstanding examples of Modernist architecture.

Modernisme is characterized by innovative structure and design; the buildings done in this style are immediately noticeable because they are so unusual. Elaborate ornamentation is also a characteristic of Modernisme.

Antoni Gaudí

The works of Antoni Gaudí are the best known examples of Modernist architecture. Gaudí was born in 1842 and died in 1926. Inspired by natural formations such as tree branches and the inside of snail shells, he designed buildings based on principles of geometry. In some of his buildings, tourists can see some of the devices he used to determine angles and measurements.

The Sagrada Familia is Gaudí’s most famous work. Another architect began it in 1882, designing it in the Gothic syle. Gaudí took over in 1882, completely changing the style and dimensions. The church has 18 bell towers, not all of them completed, since Gaudí was killed before he completed the work, which is still ongoing.

The church has three different façades, and each has a different theme: Christ’s nativity, His passion, and His glory. Different sculptures make up each façade. This is a picture of the crucifixion scene on the passion façade.

Casa Milà, better known as La Pedrera, is another of Gaudí’s works. “Pedrera” means “rock quarry,” and the building’s façade looks like a wave made of rock. Gaudí was commissioned to build it for a family, and there are apartments and offices there now, but parts are open to the public.

A bigger and better picture of La Pedrera.

A trio of houses done in the Modernist style form what is known as the “Manzana de Discordia”—"the block of discord.” The three houses are on the Passeig de Gracia, one of the most upscale avenues in the city. The owner of the best known of these three houses, Casa Batllò, commissioned Gaudí to totally renovate the house. The roof tiles are designed to look like dragon scales. The balconies are designed to be reminiscent of skulls, and the second floor columns look like bones—bones of the dragon’s victims.

Here is a picture of the balconies of Casa Batllò. When you stand back a bit, particularly at night, they look like a Darth Vader type of mask.

The rooms inside Casa Batllò have a water motif. The walls and

ceilings sometimes look like an ocean’s waves and swells.

Lluís Domènech i Muntaner

Lluis Domenèch i Muntaner, born in 1850, wanted to establish a national architecture for Catalonia. His works are elaborately ornate and rich in ceramics and mosaics.

Domènech i Muntaner’s most famous building is the Palau de la Música Catalana, built between 1905 and 1908. Virtually every inch of this building is decorated with stained glass, ceramics, rosettes, or sculptures.

In 1903 construction began on the Hospital de Sant Pau, another work of Domènech i Muntaner. It is abeautiful building, elaborate on the outside and ornate on the inside. It is still a working hospital.

Domènech i Muntaner designed Casa Lleo i Morera, the second and perhaps least ornate of the three houses of the Manzana de la Discordia.

Josep Puig i Cadafalch

Josep Puig i Cadafalch (1867-1956) was a politician as well as an architect. His greatest desire was to help Catalonia better establish its own identity. Concerned with improving life in Barcelona, he was involved in city planning as well as in Modernist architectural design.

Casa Amatller is the best known of Puig i Cadafalch’s works. It is the third building in the trio that form the Manzana de la Discordia and stands next to Casa Batllò.