ANTONI GAUDÍ (Reus or Riudoms, 1852 - Barcelona, 1926); JOSEP MARIA JUJOL (Tarragona, 1879 - Barcelona, 1949).
Trencadís turtle from the bench in Park Güell, ca.1900.
Gaudí's original design for the undulating bench in the Plaza del Parc Güell, Barcelona.
Ceramic trencadís (lime mortar and white ceramic tile).
Catalogued in "La ceràmica en l'obra de Gaudí" Gaudí i Trencadís (Gaudí 2002, pg.78).
Measurements: 9 cm x 14 cm x 5 cm.
Original trencadís piece from the serpentine bench of the Park Güell square in Barcelona, replaced by the current ones in the restoration of 1985-1993. On the great hypostyle hall of Parc Güell, Gaudí arranged a large square limited by the famous undulating bench, which has always been pointed out as one of the most finished pieces of contemporary architectural design. The ceramic works that Josep Maria Jujol made for this place are a true anticipation of contemporary plastic collage and geometric abstraction. The covering comes from demolition materials and its polychrome, shining in the sunlight, gives it the appearance of a fantastic and gigantic animal.
Josep Maria Jujol i Gibert was a Spanish modernist architect. A close collaborator of Antoni Gaudí, he was the creator of an architectural work with a marked personal character. Characteristic of his production is a great sensitivity for the forms of nature, an interest in handcrafted detail and the creative reuse of old or waste materials, which he took to its maximum expression with a technique that has been called trencadís. His work expresses his affection for the rural landscape of the Campo de Tarragona and his deep religiosity. Main works: Renovation of the Savassona Palace as the headquarters of the Barcelona Athenaeum. 1904. 1904 Casa Batlló (collaboration with Gaudí). Barcelona, 1906.Casa Milà (la Pedrera) (collaboration with Gaudí). Barcelona, 1908.Teatro del Patronato Obrero (theater now called Metropol, inside a courtyard). Tarragona, 1908. Restored by the architect J. Llinás, Sansalvador estate. Barcelona, 1909-1915.Restoration of the Cathedral of Majorca, reforms, furniture and decorations in collaboration with Gaudí. 1910.Talleres y Comercio (in the centric street of Fernando) Casa Mañach. Barcelona, 1911.
Park Güell (collaboration with Gaudí). Barcelona, 1911-1913.