Rafael Masó i Valentí
Rafael Masó i Valentí (born August 16, 1880 in Girona , † July 13, 1935 ibid) was a Catalan architect of Modernism (Catalan Art Nouveau ) and Noucentisme (Catalan neoclassicism ).
Life
Masó was born in Girona to an educated, rather conservative, Catholic family. The cultivated atmosphere of the house, shaped by the literary and artistic interests of the father, and the love for the city and its traditions determined the personality and the career of the future architect. An admirer of Antoni Gaudí , Masó joined a group of artists and writers during his studies in Barcelona who created the noucentisme , an alternative to the then prevailing modernism . The new civic spirit propagated by the Noucentisme , the accompanying Catalanism and the European spirit of the movement committed to progress led to Masó also appearing as a poet, city planner, politician and promoter of art and literature.
In the Casa Masó Rafael Masó lived until he married in 1912 with Esperança Bru. In terms of his work, he limited himself entirely to Girona, so that the majority of the buildings he created are located in the city and its immediate catchment area. In addition to houses, villas and apartment blocks, he designed a wide variety of building complexes - from schools and hospitals to factories and shops. Another focus of his activity was the renovation of old farmhouses and the restoration of buildings from the Middle Ages. His most important works include, in Girona, the Farinera Teixidor (1910), the Casa Masó (1911) and the cultural center Athenea (1912), in Olot the Casa Masramon (1913), in Sant Feliu de Guíxols the Casa Casas (1914) and the garden city of S'Agaró (1923). To Masó's chagrin, his clients often did not agree with the proposals he had submitted, so that they often hardly got beyond the pure planning phase. Another negative factor for his work is that after his death a number of buildings were simply demolished or changed and rebuilt in a way that could no longer be reversed.
Typical of Masó's work is his complete identification with the principles of modernity postulated by the Noucentisme , which, however, was in no way ready to break with a classicism understood in the strictest sense and with a conscious emphasis on craft techniques and processes in forms, colors and materials of the local culture took up. Strongly influenced by the English Arts and Crafts movement and the new German regional architecture, Masó wanted to combine the tradition of local architecture with new approaches to the structure and decoration of buildings, the interior design and the design of furniture. The contribution he made was decisive in Catalonia for the adoption of modern concepts for the architectural design of residential buildings, for the renewal of handicrafts, the preservation of the historical legacy and the promotion of cultural initiatives.
Important buildings (selection)
- Farinera Teixidor, Girona (1910)
- La Casa Masó, Girona (1911)
- Escoles de Sarrià de Ter, Girona (1909/1910)
- Escoles de Vilablareix, Vilablareix (1912)
- Bloc Salieti (1914-1916)
- Casa Teixidor (La Punxa) (1918–1922)
- Casa Gispert-Saüch, Girona, (1921)
- Casa Omedes, Girona, (1924/1925)
- Castell Raïmat, Lleida, (1932–1935)
literature
- AADD: Rafael Masó i Valentí, Arquitecte (1880-1935) . Fundació La Caixa, Barcelona, 2006
- AADD: Les tres dimensions de l'arquitecte. Rafael Masó photographer . COAC Demarcació de Girona, Girona, 2002, ISBN 978-84-88258-47-2
- Aragó, Narcís-Jordi: Rafael Masó, ciutadà de Girona . Ajuntament de Girona, Girona, 2006, ISBN 978-8484960-33-1
- Aragó, Narcís-Jordi: Rafael Masó i els noucentistes. Epistolari . Diputació de Girona, Girona, 2007, ISBN 9788496747-13-5
- Aragó, Narcís-Jordi; Gil i Tort, Rosa Maria. Casa Masó: Vida i arquitectura noucentista . Fundació Rafael Masó-Editorial Triangle, Girona, 2012, ISBN 978-8496747-13-5
- Falgàs Casanovas, Jordi: L'arquitectura de Rafael Masó a la Catalunya noucentista . Fundació Rafael Masó-Editorial Triangle, Girona, 2012 ,. ISBN 978-8496747-13-5
- Tarrús Galter, Joan; Comadira, Narcís: Rafael Masó: arquitecte noucentista . Brau edicions, 2007, ISBN 978-84-96842-03-8
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Masó i Valentí, Rafael |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Spanish architect |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 16, 1880 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Girona |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 13, 1935 |
| Place of death | Girona |