The Block of Discord

§ July 31st, 2015 § Filed under Spain, Spain - Barcelona § No Comments

The Block of Discord

The following story is my attempt at being clever, as I merge history, art history, myth, and nicknames all into one. 

Once upon a time, in a city named Barcelona at the turn of the century, there was a very grand party. Everyone who wasPuig i Cadafalch, Domenech i Montaner, Gaudi anyone was invited to the Eixample district, recently designed and created by Ildefons Cerdá, to celebrate! Among the guests were many famous artists and architects, including Antoni Gaudi, Lluis Domenech i Montaner, and Josep Puig i Cadafalch. All guests had their eyes on these three, the most well-known figures in the Catalonian art circle, and the architects of some of the most beautiful buildings around.

Antoni Rovira i Trias vs. Ildefons CerdaThe party was in full swing, that is, until Antoni Rovira i Trias intervened! Nicknamed Senyor Discord, due to his clashing with Ildefons Cerda during the Eixample design competition and resultant hostile behavior, Rovira had not been invited. In an effort to ruin the celebration of the newly created grid-structured district, one he radically hated as it contrasted so greatly with his radial plan, Rovira sought to create a competition of his own. In the center of one of the biggest streets, Passeig de Gracia, right in front of three newly finished houses, Casa Morera, Casa Amatller, and Casa Batllo, he left a trophy in the shape of a succulent manzana. On it, he engraved, “To the best architect, and to the best building.”

As the party-goers cha-cha’d and danced the Sardana through the streets, a lesser known architect, Josep Maria Jujol i Sardana DancingGibert spotted the golden prize. He looked at it enviously, but ultimately knew it could never have been meant for him. He broke the circle of entwined hands, picked up the apple, and asked, “De qui es? Whose is it?” The music stopped, and everyone turned around, blinded by the sun shining off the polished gold surface of the juicy fruit. The guests began to quarrel and fight. No doubt it was meant for one of the architects of the beautiful buildings in front of them! But who? No one could agree. Some admired the allusions to fairy tales and the strong Gothic, medieval influence in Domenech i Montaner’s Casa Morera. Many loved the unique, and Belgian-looking roof-line of Puig i Cadafalch’s Casa Amatller. And others just stood in awe at the trencadis tiles on Gaudi’s Casa Batllo.

Senyor Discords AppleThe party was over. Because no one could agree on the most beautiful house on the block, and the best architect of the three, no one was left in the mood for celebrating. The streets emptied as frustrated onlookers walked home to defend their favorite building. Senyor Discord, a.k.a. Antoni Rovira i Trias, continues to laugh as the verdict is out. Which do you think is the fairest?

Real Information You NEED to Know:

  • There was a competition for architects and engineers to design a new city-plan for the Eixample district. While Antoni Rovira i Trias won with a radial plan, Madrid vetoed his design in favor of Ildefons Cerda’s 1855 orthogonal plan. This decision on the part of the central Spanish government has been seen by many as part of the ongoing tension between Spain and Catalunya.
    • The Eixample district was the place to live for the rising bourgeosie!
  • The Spanish word manzana has two meanings. The first, and most used, is “apple.” The second is “city block.” The nickname The Block of Discord is a play on words. In the original Greek myth, the goddess Eris (Roman: Discord) drops a golden apple down into festivities to create her chaos. So not only do we fight over which building deserves the golden apple (manzana), but we are also debating about three houses on the same city block (manzana).
    • The original Greek myth also leads into the history of the Trojan War.
  • The Sardana is a traditional dance in Catalunya, and I thought it more likely that Catalans would be dancing a sardana than the cha cha.
  • Josep Maria Jujol i Gibert is a lesser-known architect who worked with Gaudi.
  • Casa Lleo Morera by Lluis Domenech i Montaner (1903-1905)
    • Translated, the name Lleo means “lion,” and Morera is a type of flower. You can see details of lions and Morera flowers throughout the facade of the building.
    • Some of the sculptures from the exterior of the building were demolished during the 1950s when people no longer cared about the Art Nouveau movement. Today, you can see the leftover sculptures at the Dali Museum in Figueres.
    • There are sculptures on the facade that allude to new inventions of the day.
  • Casa Amatller by Josep Puig i Cadafalch (1898-1900)
    • Senyor Amatller was the owner of a very famous chocolate factory – today you can have a taste of Amatller chocolate in the lobby cafe!
    • Amatller traveled a lot to the Low Countries – Belgian is well-known for its chocolate, is it not? The influence of his sites of travel can be seen in the roof-line of the building. When I visited the Netherlands, I saw buildings with the stepped roof!
    • Amatller was also an amateur photographer. The attic of the building was made to be his own studio. Sculptures on the facade depict scenes of people, and animals, taking pictures!
    • There are four sculptures depicting the different arts: painting, sculpture, music, and design/architecture.
    • On the inside of the building, there is a decorative element featuring a bear churning chocolate!
    • Look closely for decorative “A’s” placed on the facade – A for Amatller!
  • Casa Batllo by Antoni Gaudi (1904)
    • Religion
      • Look closely and you can see the initials of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph on the facade
      • The four-armed or volumed cross is one of Gaudi’s signature elements. Where as a regular cross can only be recognized from a frontal view-point (on the side it just looks like a pinnacle), the four-armed cross can be seen from every angle.
    • Nature
      • Some look at the color scheme of Casa Batllo and are reminded of the sea – the blues, greens, and corrals glimmer in the sun.
      • The shape of the columns is reminiscent of the bones of a skeleton (i.e. finger bones). In geometric terms, the shape is called a hyperboloid.
      • The roof reminds one of the scaley back of a lizard, or dragon! The tale of St. George and the Dragon is very important to the architects of Catalonian Art Nouveau, as it serves as a representation of the struggle between Catalunya and Spain. One interpretation of the building is that the four-armed cross is St. George’s spear piercing the dragon.
        • Puig i Cadafalch also used dragon imagery in his works!
    • Caternary Arch
      • Gaudi loved using parabolic or caternary arches. Unlike midpoint and pointed arches which fight gravity, this type of arch is governed by gravity and nature. The attic of this building is comprised of a “barrel vault” of caternary arches.
    • Trencadis – broken, uneven tiles used to create colorful design.

 

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