Gaudi Stories

Step into Barcelona's Modernista age-when Barcelona's main attractions were built above streets scarred by inequality. Late 19th-century Barcelona. By forces far beyond her control, seven-year-old Núria is taken into service in the household of the powerful industrialist Eusebi Güell. Uprooted from the factory colony that shaped her, she is thrusted into a world of velvet, decandence, and anarchy. Caught between two conflicting realities-the gilded palaces of a rising industrial elite and the grinding poverty of the workers who sustain it-Núria becomes a witness to a city transforming at breathtaking speed. As chimneys rise and fortunes are made, a new artistic vision begins to take shape, led by the brilliant architect Antoni Gaudí. Through Núria's eyes, experience the birth of Barcelona as both industrial powerhouse and Catalan Modernista capital-where innovation and exploitation walk hand in hand, and every triumph has a cost. Featuring iconic figures and places woven into the story: Palau Güell, the Tragic Week, Hospital de Sant Pau... and the ever-changing soul of Barcelona itself. ***To the reader: this is the first chapter of what will hopefully become a book about Barcelona in the 19th century, from the Industrial Era to the Spanish Civil War. I hope you enjoy it!***

This is a quick article/story on the great surrealist painter and the pleasure of food, art, architecture and culture of Spain.

One of Trevor McClintock’s great loves is Gaudi architecture and having just returned from Barcelona, this week’s post will be all about that. Gaudi was a truly divisive architect, a bit like marmite, people either love his work or hate it. Trevor McClintock is a real fan. The surreal nature of his work is truly captivating and makes really great subject matter for photography and architecture fans. To give you a bit of background: Antoni Gaudí was born in Reus in 1852 and received his Architectural degree in 1878. From the early beginnings his designs were radically different from those of his contemporaries. He was not so much influenced by other architect's ideas but more by forms of nature. The majority of his work has a really very organic feel. This basic concept of using nature as the primary influences for his creativity is reflected in the use of the natural curved construction stones, twisted iron sculptures, and organic-like shapes - all of which are characteristic traits of his architecture. A real Trevor McClintock favourite has to be that wacky Casa Batlló with its hallucinogenic façade. Gaudí used colours and shapes found in marine life as inspiration for his creativity in this building. The colours he chose for the front are those found in natural coral. A truly magnificent spectacle.

all written by me

A story from the book- Spanish Yarns and Beyond.