Explore Antoni Gaudi’s Masterpiece – The Casa Batllo
Antoni Gaudi’s mind had a knack of conjuring up visceral, surreal and visually stunning designs; and the Casa Batlló ranks right up there as his most iconic work. The structure was built to look more like a layers of an animal rather than a residence. Known locally as the “House of Bones” due to its visceral and organic texture, the Casa Batlló was commissioned by Batlló family and is located in the upscale Example district in Barcelona.
There are three sections to the building, and each of them represent a layer of anatomy. The base level features grids of bone like pattern, while the one above it takes on a more chaotic and abstract form, reflecting blood vessels and sinews, and finally the entire structure converges to the scaly roof that reminds of the back of a dragon.
Casa Batlló is Gaudi at his hallucinogenic best. The facade is peppered with green, blue and mauve tiles and features flowing windows and balconies that rises to the blue tiled roof.
Antoni Gaudi was a mad genius with an uncanny ability to imbibe organic elements into architecture; and his designs often convey the feeling that nature herself birthed the structure. The Casa Batlló is awash with Gaudi’s signature Modernist elements: organic motifs, flowing spaces, dynamic shapes and a taste for asymmetery.
While Gaudi only remodelled a part of the existing building, it will be hard to tell from the smooth, undulating walls of the sprawling hall. Many visitors liken a walk through the Casa Batlló to a stroll through the soft insides of a massive creature.
Gaudi pulled out all stops in shaping this unique structure. Straight lines are virtually non existent within the Casa Batlló – glass, ceramic and wood swirl around on the walls to create a dreamy landscape that is unconventional as it is hypnotically beautiful. The Batlló’s have long since vacated the building, but it is still open as a museum and visitors can explore the unique building with a guided audio tour.
