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Rediff.com  » Getahead » Antoni Gaudi: Google doodles for the great architect
This article was first published 10 years ago

Antoni Gaudi: Google doodles for the great architect

June 25, 2013 10:37 IST

Image: Google doodles for Antoni Gaudi's 161st birthday

The search engine giant doodles for the man who designed several iconic buildings.

Google celebrates today the 161st birth anniversary of Antoni Gaudi, the architect of the incomplete Sagrada Familia church of Barcelona.

Though the work on the basilica started in 1882 -- its original architect was Francesc de P del Villar -- Gaudi became involved the following year and turned the architectural and engineering style on its head. What was to be made in Gothic revival style now had elements of the Art Nouveau too.

Perhaps the only incomplete structure in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Sagrada Familia was proclaimed a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010.

Much of Gaudi’s work has reflected a style that was driven by his three passions – architecture, nature and religion.

After being influenced by the neo-Gothic art and Oriental techniques, Gaudi soon turned to the Catalan Modernista movement.

Gaudi spent the last years of his life working on the Sagrada Familia. A deeply religious man, Gaudi’s faith reflected in his work earning him the nickname ‘God's Architect'.

Work on his most famous design the Sagrada Familia continues at a painfully slow pace. The construction was only past its half-way mark in 2010 and is estimated to be completed in 2026 the death centenary of Gaudi.