Josep Puig i Cadafalch

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Josep Puig i Cadafalch, portrayed by Pau Audouard Déglaire

Josep Puig i Cadafalch (born October 17, 1867 in Mataró , † December 23, 1956 in Barcelona ) was a Catalan architect , art historian and politician . He is one of the most important representatives of Modernism architecture .

Biographical data

Puig i Cadafalch was born in Mataró, an industrial city on the coast near Barcelona. He studied architecture and ciencias exactas (mathematics, physics and other natural sciences) in Barcelona . After completing his studies, he returned to Mataró, where he took over the office of city architect. He held this post for five years, during which time his first buildings were built in Mataró.

Then Puig became professor of hydraulics and strength engineering at the Barcelona School of Architecture . In 1917 he became President of the Mancomunitat de Catalunya , the Catalan Parliament. There he developed ambitious plans for education and culture and initiated the archaeological excavations in Ampurias . He was also committed to building roads and developing agriculture. After the Miguel Primo de Riveras coup in 1923, he was deposed and replaced by Alfonso Sala .

Puig was a student of Lluís Domènech i Montaner . He is considered the last representative of Modernisme and the first of Noucentisme . His work can be divided into three periods:

Casa Amatller in Barcelona
Casa de les Punxes
  • The first period is modernism. Puig used the country house of the Catalan nobility as a model, to which he added Nordic style elements. The buildings Casa Amatller , Casa Martí and in particular Casa Terradas (popularly known as Casa de les Punxes ) belong to this period . All of these buildings were built between 1895 and 1905.
  • This was followed by the period of rational idealism, a style that was oriented towards the preferences of the new upper bourgeoisie. The buildings were planned more on rational and practical criteria. This period includes Casa Trinxet , Casa Muntades and Casa Company .
  • His third creative period can be described as that of "monumentalism". It developed in parallel with the preparation and implementation of the 1929 World Exhibition in Barcelona , for which Puig was the lead architect. The buildings were inspired by Roman architecture and combined with typical elements of the architectural styles of Valencia and Andalusia . The walls were yellow and numerous pillars were used as structural elements. The end result was a neo-baroque style.

Puig was very interested in architecture in the United States of America . He designed Casa Pich on the model of buildings by the American architect Louis Henry Sullivan . In addition to his work as an architect, he wrote essays and books on Romanesque and Gothic architecture in Catalonia. During the Spanish Civil War he lived in exile in Paris and held courses on architecture and history at several universities. Puig received honorary doctorates from various universities, including from the University of Paris. After his return, the new regime did not allow him to work as an architect. He dealt with the restoration of historical buildings and monuments. In 1942 he became President of the Institute for Catalan Studies , a position he held until the end of his life. Josep Puig i Cadafalch died at his home in Barcelona at the age of 89. He was buried in the Sant Feliu de Guíxols cemetery.

Important structures

Barcelona, ​​house on Carrer Sant Pere Més Alt 24

Web links

Commons : Josep Puig i Cadafalch  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files
Wikiquote: Josep Puig i Cadafalch  - Quotes (Catalan)
Wikisource: Josep Puig i Cadafalch  - Sources and full texts (Catalan)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c X. Figueras, I. Munté: Josep Puig i Cadafalch ( Memento of the original from January 10, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.gaudiallgaudi.com
  2. ↑ Thomas Staender: Costa Brava and Costa Daurada, 1999, ISBN 3-87003-866-7 , page 60 online
  3. ^ A b Ajuntament de Barcelona: Catàleg de Patrimoni arquitectònic, Identificador 1238
personal data
SURNAME Puig i Cadafalch, Josep
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Catalan architect
DATE OF BIRTH October 17, 1867
PLACE OF BIRTH Mataró
DATE OF DEATH December 23, 1956
Place of death Barcelona