To
bring his extensive architectural commitments to fruition, Gaudí
wisely chose and assembled an exceptional team of collaborators,
consisting of architects, sculptors, and painters, but also artisans
(contractors, decorators, blacksmiths, welders, carpenters,
glassmakers, ceramicists, calligraphers, etc.). All of these
individuals created titanic works in their respective fields and
were closely supervised by Gaudí himself. He obstinately demanded
such a high level of perfection that workers frequently had to redo
more than once work which Gaudí considered sub-standard.
Gaudí did not limit himself by having to rely on the experience and
advice of others, but rather had a profound understanding of the
facilities he needed for his work. According to Joan Bassegoda, he
cultivated the expertise of his uncle’s blacksmith workshop in Reus,
craftsman Eudald Puntí in the Pedró neighborhood of Barcelona, and
the workshop of modeler Llorenç Matamala, with whom he would later
collaborate on the Sagrada Família.
Gaudí was extremely loyal to the artisans with whom he collaborated
and allowed them to develop their own personal creative capacities.
Naturally, with the passage of time and the trials of history, much
information has been lost, but we still know about many of these
exceptional technicians and operator, some of whom are mentioned
below:
