Gaudy or Gaudi?
By Henry Shaftoe
Antoni Gaudi (1852 – 1926) ranks among the world’s most innovative architects and his masterpiece – the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia, in Barcelona, is arguably Europe’s most spectacular building.
You can now get to Barcelona from Perpignan on the AVE high speed train in 1 hour 20 minutes, if you want to visit the great man’s works, including Parc Guell and several domestic buildings.
His ‘signature’ characteristics include extensive use of curves and colourful broken tiles. However, if you just want a small taste of his architectural ‘modernista’ style, you need to go no further than Alénya or Perpignan.
In the Jardin Taulera, Alénya (just behind the Cave Ecoiffier, in the village centre) you will find a perfect copy of Gaudi’s seating in Parc Guell, Barcelona.
And there is another Gaudi-influenced site in the surprising interior of the Café Republic, in central Perpignan.
A couple of other buildings in Perpignan, if not Gaudi copies, express the same Catalan ‘modernista’ spirit. You can find these at Avenue des Pervenches and Rue des Remparts la Réal.
Lovers of ‘white cube’ architecture may find these examples gaudy, but personally I am thankful for the influence of Gaudi.