Park Guell in Barcelona, Spain is by far one of the most stimulating and beautiful places I have experienced in my life. I first visited the park in 2005 where I remember feeling like a child in Grimm's Fairy Tale, Hansel & Gretel. I immediately wanted to run and skip through the parks layers of mosaic walls, stairs, sculptures, walkways and elf like buildings. I returned again in 2008 as a participant in a summer graduate program covering mosaic arts and art history. The program gave me the opportunity to visit other great buildings done by Guadi and to learn about the natural forms that have influenced him. This park has also been a great influence for me because of my interest in public art, ecological design, and recycled art materials. Guadi used local stone from the parks site for its architectural columns, plazas, and stairways as well as recycled broken tile, ceramic, and glass pieces in the decorative skin of the walls and benches. His works throughout Barcelona have not only attracted people from all over the world to admire but have become a huge part of Barcelona’s identity and local pride.
Antoni Guadi a native to Catalonia was born in Reus on June 25, 1852. He received his architecture degree in 1878 from the Institut d'Ensenyament Mitja in Barcelona, Spain. His works are known for their expressive sculptural elements as well as his amazing use of space, color, and light. They are mostly concentrated in the Barcelona area. 1n 1984 seven properties of his were declared world heritage sites because of their exceptional creative contributions to architectural development of the late 19th and early 20th century. These properties include Casa Vicens, La Sagrada Familia, Casa Batllo, and Colonia Guell. He was especially recognized for his influence; work in his original Art Nouveau style and how is style combines gardens, sculpture, decorative arts as well as architecture.
