George R. Collins (1917–1993)

Very nice account of Gaudi’s life and architectural aesthetic, with lots of illustrations of his work. Such a whimsical artist, with all those curvy lines and ornamental details, and yet one who was reverent and placed a cross at the top of most of his buildings. There is a synthesis of the two in his observation that the beauties of Nature, that is to say, of God’s architecture, had no straight lines in it. I hadn’t realized that to combat a type of rheumatism, he was a vegetarian and regular hiker. The man was a genius, and I liked how the plates in this book gave a variety of detailed looks for various buildings. The close up of the spires at the top of the Sagrada Familia, as well as their architectural plans, were particularly cool. The account of his death is sad, hit by a trolley car at nearly 74 years old, and unrecognized initially because of his humble clothing. He was clearly ahead of his time, and his work still feels fresh and sings.… (mere)