How often do we wonder how celebrities come to the rays of fame in which they bathe? Do we often wonder about the “before” life? And how much would we want to be in their shoes if we knew the truth?
On June 25, 1852, in Reus, the fifth child was born in a family no one knew. Since childhood, the boy preferred nature instead of playing with his peers. His friends were quiet waves of the sea and the sand warmed by the sun. The boy fell in love with the feeling of freedom and alive space. And who would have thought that a sandcastle on the beach could become a symbol of Barcelona.
The boy began to delve into drawing and geometry due to his farther. In the future, the creation of elements of wrought iron and the absence of straight lines would become his signature style.
Before entering the Escuela Provincial de Arquitectura in Barcelona, the 17-year-old spent five years studying at the Preparatory Course. During his studies, he studied crafts, took on any job, doing many small errands. Perseverance, a desire for art and obsession with his dream bore fruit. Already in the first year of his studies, the young man began to design his first works together with the teachers of the school.
At that time the dawn of the Gothic style only gave strength and confidence to the young architect. Finding himself piece by piece, the creator created his own unique handwriting, which in the future would leave his signature in the history of architecture. For his graduation work, he chose the image of a cemetery gate that symbolized the link between the living world and the afterlife. The dean of the faculty said at the time: “Gentlemen, he is either a genius or a madman.”
After graduation, the creator continued to struggle with difficulties. He continued to take on any work, to carry out small orders, to create his own unique style and realize his plans. The turning point in the life of the architect was his meeting with the textile magnate Eusebi Guell, who was amazed by the stand to show products in a shop. It was Eusebi who subsequently brought a man, unknown to anyone, into the limelight. A man who lived his business, who aspired to the impossible. A young man who had spent years studying. A child who built sandcastles.
Everyone thought he was crazy, but he ended up being a genius. And the name of that genius was Antonio Gaudi.
