Antoni Gaudí

Hello, my name is Antoni Gaudí. I was an architect who loved to create buildings that looked like they came from a wonderful dream. I was born a long time ago, on June 25th, 1852, in a beautiful part of Spain called Catalonia. When I was a young boy, I was often sick and couldn't run and play like the other children. Instead, I spent my days outside, sitting quietly and watching the world of nature all around me. I looked closely at the spiraling shells of snails and how they twisted and turned. I watched the strong branches of trees reaching up to the sky, and I saw all the bright, beautiful colors of the flowers. As I watched, I learned a very important secret. Nature doesn't use straight lines. Everything is curved, wavy, or bumpy. I decided right then that my buildings shouldn't have straight lines either. They should be inspired by the amazing shapes I saw in nature.

When I grew up, I moved to the big city of Barcelona to become an architect. I officially started my career in 1878. I didn't want to make plain, boring buildings with straight walls and square windows. My dream was to create buildings that looked like they were a part of nature itself. I wanted my creations to surprise people and make them happy. One of my favorite projects was Park Güell, which I started working on around the year 1900. It is a magical park with a long, wavy bench that looks like a sea serpent. I covered it in thousands of colorful broken tiles, so it sparkles in the sun. Another special building is called Casa Batlló. Around 1906, I redesigned this house to have a roof that looks just like the scaly back of a giant dragon. My ideas were very different, but I had a good friend named Eusebi Güell who believed in me. He was a kind man who supported my work and helped me bring my wild ideas to life for everyone in Barcelona to enjoy. He understood that I wanted to make art, not just buildings.

Of all the amazing things I helped create, one project was my greatest dream. It was a giant church called La Sagrada Família, which means 'The Holy Family'. I began working on this incredible church in 1883, and it quickly became my life's passion. I poured all of my ideas and all of my heart into it. I wanted the inside of the church to feel like you were walking through a magical forest. To do this, I designed columns that look like tall, thin trees, with branches that spread out across the ceiling to hold it up. When the sunlight shines through the colorful windows, it feels like you are standing under a canopy of leaves. I worked on this special church for over 40 years, carefully planning every single detail to make it a true masterpiece. It was the most important work of my entire life.

I spent many years working on my buildings and my beloved church. My life came to an end after an accident in the city in 1926. I lived to be 73 years old. Even though I am no longer there to work on it, my greatest dream, La Sagrada Família, is still being built today by people who share my vision. My other buildings are still standing tall in Barcelona for everyone to see. They remind people to look at the beautiful world of nature and find inspiration in its amazing shapes and colors.