Gaudí’s childhood. The observation of Nature.

The son of Francesc Gaudí i Serra, a boilermaker, and Antonia Cornet i Bertran, Antoni Plàcid Guillem Gaudí i Cornet, was born on a hot 25th of June 1852 in Reus (Tarragona). Gaudí spent his childhood between Reus, where his parents had their business, and the countryside, in a small cottage owned by his mother known as Mas de la Calderera – the Boilermaker's house – as his mother's family had also been involved in that craft. Frequent contact with nature may have been one of the factors that stimulated two of the abilities which were to become crucial in the development of his work: the observation and meticulous analysis of the natural world.

Adolescence. The awakening of a genius.

Antoni Gaudí was a pupil at the Piarist School in Reus, where he stood out on account of his gift for analysing and rationalising questions. During his adolescence, Gaudí formed a strong friendship with two of his fellow pupils: Eduard Toda and Josep Ribera. The three young men were enthusiastic about nature and interested in history, and were very fond of going on excursions. On one of these outings, Josep Ribera brought his friends to an abandoned building that he had discovered: the ruins of the Santa María de Poblet monastery. The three youths made a resolution to restore the ancient building. Of that enthusiastic youthful project, all that remains is a floor plan drawn by Gaudí, who must have been about 15 at the time, and a note written by his companions. For Gaudí, that experience was undoubtedly the declaration of his vocation as an architect.

University. The discovery of architecture.

A short time afterwards, Gaudí moved to Barcelona to study the final year of his secondary education and to do the foundation course at the School of Architecture. By that time, Gaudí had already distinguished himself as a result of his creative genius and through a flair for calculus. From early on in his studies, the brilliant architect was hard at work in the studios of eminent professors and masters of the craft such as Francisco Paula de Villar and Josep Fontseré. It was in the studio of the latter that Gaudí achieved the first recognition of his work: on his own initiative he corrected a task that had been given to a fellow student – designing the water tank for the Cascada Fountain in Parc de la Ciutadella.