- [Narrator] It's been said the eyes
are a window into the soul.
But these eyes masked an
astonishing imagination.
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Antoni Gaudi possessed such
a unique view of the world
that his college president
commented during graduation,
"we're in the presence of
either a genius or a mad man."
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Born in 1852, Gaudi's
influence on the architecture
and character of
Barcelona is unmistakable.
His style defied categorization
emulating the flowing rhythm of nature.
Few at the time understood his work
including the city of Barcelona,
which awarded him just one
project, the street lamps.
Gaudi's most impassioned
work was Sagrada Familia.
Inside, the design
resembles a stone forest.
The powerful tree trunks
reaching for the sky.
Complete with branches
and leaves at the top.
Gaudi orchestrated every detail here,
even choosing the different
types of stone for the pillars
to optimize weight distribution.
Which is why they're different colors.
What surprised me most, is
that the Sagrada Familia
began in 1882, still isn't finished
and it won't be until 2026.
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At Park Guell, Gaudi
sought to infuse his work
with the complex patterns
he'd observed in nature.
It was an unrelenting
quest that also turned him
into an avid recycler.
- The old, old styles and
ceramics before been in here
were in balconies, kitchens,
bathrooms, places like that.
- [Narrator] Gaudi's
obsession with nature was
anything but a passing fancy.
It began in fact in childhood
with a diagnosis of rheumatism,
a condition that left him isolated.
- When he was a kid, he was sick
so he would not play with
the rest of the children.
He spend a long time alone
just observing nature.
- [Narrator] Gaudi's
epiphany was that man creates
with straight lines,
while God fills nature
with graceful curves and angles.
At Casa Batllo, Gaudi abandoned
straight lines entirely.
The result was nothing
short of astonishing.
Especially the roof line,
which it said depicts a slain dragon.
Complete with a sword
sticking out of its back.
- The everyday people didn't
understand anything of him.
It was too modern.
He broke with the lines
of all the other houses
and he began to do really things that were
absolutely a scandal
for most of the people.
He developed his own style
and I think he marked then,
the architecture of the future.
There's no one like him.
- [Narrator] Gaudi's
passion for architecture
burns so intense, he worked
every day of his career.
A career that left a
multitude of original works
for later generations to contemplate.
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In the end, the man who helped
shape the soul of Barcelona,
was recognized by the world
with seven UNESCO World Heritage sites.
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Antoni Gaudi is a priceless
part of Barcelona's history.
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I hope you'll explore more of the city's
architectural treasures and traditions.
