The Caprice of Gaudi

Rest Day in Villaviciosa and at look at one of Gaudi’s masterpieces.

Today we enjoy a very laid back day in the small town of Villaviciosa with a population of about 15,000. Best known for the production of fermented ciders, it is home to numerous cafes and shops of various sorts. Our laid-back attitude is partly out of “an attitude of rest”, but mostly because there is little to do or see in this town. It is a place to eat and drink and the locals and the few tourists seem to do that quite well.

Let us go back in time a few days to the town of Comillas, the home of The Capricho de Gaudi”.I will share a few photos of one of Antoni Gaudi’s famous works, “The Caprice of Gaudi”. Having visited this remarkable home I would define his caprice, as his “Whim”.

The Caprice is one of Gaudi’s earliest works (around age 33) and one of just a handful that he created outside of the Barcelona area. A home for a wealthy businessman, Gaudi showcased his skills as the “architect of nature”.

Here is a short introduction to Gaudi:

Servant of God Antoni Gaudí Cornet
Gaudí in 1878, by Pau Audouard
Born	25 June 1852 Reus or Riudoms, Catalonia, Spain^[1]^[2]
Died	10 June 1926 (aged 73) Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Nationality	Spanish
Occupation	Architect

Buildings	Sagrada Família Casa Milà Casa Batlló
Projects	Park Güell Church of Colònia Güell
Website	www.sagradafamilia.org/en/ www.parkguell.cat/en/ casabatllo.es/en/

Antoni Gaudí i Cornet (/ˈɡaʊdi/; Catalan: [ənˈtɔni ɣəwˈði]; 25 June 1852 – 10 June 1926) was a Catalan architect from Spain known as the greatest exponent of Catalan Modernism.^[3] Gaudí's works have a highly individualized, sui generis style. Most are located in Barcelona, including his main work, the church of the Sagrada Família.

Gaudí's work was influenced by his passions in life: architecture, nature, and religion.^[4] He considered every detail of his creations and integrated into his architecture such crafts as ceramics, stained glass, wrought ironwork forging and carpentry. He also introduced new techniques in the treatment of materials, such as trencadís which used waste ceramic pieces.

Under the influence of neo-Gothic art and Oriental techniques, Gaudí became part of the Modernista movement which was reaching its peak in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His work transcended mainstream Modernisme, culminating in an organic style inspired by natural forms. Gaudí rarely drew detailed plans of his works, instead preferring to create them as three-dimensional scale models and moulding the details as he conceived them.

Gaudí's work enjoys global popularity and continuing admiration and study by architects. His masterpiece, the still-incomplete Sagrada Família, is the most-visited monument in Spain.

Specifically about the Caprice:

Constructed between 1883 and 1885, commissioned by the lawyer Máximo Diaz de Quijano, the Caprice was designed influenced by Oriental and Arabian art, styles that marked Gaudí's early period. In a daring formal exercise, the architect combined a large variety of materials in order to create the ornamental details of the building, distinguished for their dynamism and chromatic wealth.