Antoni Gaud Ornament, Fire and Ashes

Juan Jos Lahuertas Columns of Smoke series offers bold new readings of modernity and its key figures while redefining the connections between architecture, ornamentation, and the portrayal of both in print media. The third volume focuses on the Spanish architect Antoni Gaud (18521926), whose spectacular fin-de-sicle bohemian modernism stood in revolutionary contrast to the leading approaches of the day. With the rise of Le Corbusiers modern style of architecture in the early twentieth century, architects who favored ornamentation and a strong bond with nature, like Gaud, were relegated to the sidelines. Lahuerta draws on first-hand documents, many previously unpublished, to show that Gaud, far from being the isolated eccentric seen in other accounts, was keenly aware of the major theories and works of his time and cleverly used industrial processes to produce ornamental details that appear today to be almost handmade. Equally impressive was Gauds ability to capitalize on his fame once in the public eye, as both the architect and his buildings appeared in illustrations in the popular press. His influence on avant-garde artists like Salvador Dal, who admired the edible appearance of Gauds Casa Mil in Barcelona, and Pablo Picasso, who was fascinated by the eroticism of the Casa Batll, attests to the architects impact far beyond his field. Richly illustrated with rare images from a variety of sources, this highly visual take on Gaud is also a spirited commentary on the roots of modernism more generally. Entertaining and perceptive, Antoni Gaud challenges us to reconsider what we thought we knew about this pioneering architect and his distinctive work.