Geometry in Gaudí’s art

Hello dear bloggers! In today’s post, I’ll be discussing the role of geometry in the architecture of a leading Spanish architect: Antonio Gaudí. When introducing children to a new topic or concept, I believe that hands-on and visual aids are key to promoting understanding and motivation, but I also believe it is important to include certain aspects of general knowledge in the curriculum so that pupils gradually become familiar with artists, writers or scientists from their own country. 

Gaudí was a Spanish architect regarded as the leading figure of Catalan Modernism. He possessed an innate sense of geometry and volume, and was able to visualise most of his works in his mind before translating them into drawings. Gaudí worked with the geometry of ruled surfaces, inspired by the analysis he had made of natural forms since childhood, and by his mastery of the geometry of space, which led him to experiment with three dimensions (Centro Virtual Cervantes, n.d.). Gaudí’s architecture was a far cry from traditional architecture and favoured the use of curved lines and undulating profiles, drawing closer to the forms found in nature. 

Figure 1.

Casa Batlló

Note: Own elaboration.

According to Alsina and Gómez (2002), 

La visión gaudiniana de la geometría es el resultado de una desbordante creatividad tridimensional basada

en una experimentación geométrica sistemática. Gaudí tuvo una visión de la geometría muy personal.

Amó profundamente la geometría y, a través de su obra, nos dejó uno de los legados

más bellos de formas geométricas hechas realidad. (p.523)

One of the geometric shapes that had the greatest influence on his work was the catenary curve, with Gaudí being the first architect to use this element in everyday architecture (Fernández, 2020). The catenary curve is the geometric shape formed by a flexible, uniform chain, rope or cable when suspended by its ends under the sole influence of gravity.

     Figure 2.

    Catenary curve

    Note: Recovered from https://www.xataka.com/otros/secretos-geometricos-gaudi-catenarias-hiperboloides-profunda-simbologia-numero-12

The geometric richness found in Gaudí’s architecture not only constitutes an artistic and structural legacy, but also opens up a world of immense educational value. His work, brimming with recognisable shapes—curves, arches, polygons, ruled surfaces—offers primary school pupils a visual and meaningful context from which to approach geometry in a natural and engaging way. As Alsina and Gómez Serrano (2002) point out, Gaudí’s vision of geometry stems from ‘systematic geometric experimentation’ rooted in the observation of nature, making it an excellent example to show pupils that geometry is not a set of abstract rules, but a language present in the world around them. This perspective ties in directly with what Chamorro (2003) advocates for the teaching of geometry in primary education: the need for pupils to learn to generalise concepts from concrete examples, moving beyond a purely procedural approach to teaching.

References

Alsina, C. y Gómez Serrano, J. (2002). Gaudí, geométricamente. Gaceta de la Real Sociedad Matemática Española, vol. 5, n.º 3, pp. 523–558. ISSN 1138-8927.https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=2016692 

Centro Virtual Cervantes (s.f.). Naturaleza y geometría. Gaudí. Instituto Cervantes. https://cvc.cervantes.es/actcult/gaudi/geometria.htm 

Chamorro, M. C. (coord.) (2003). Didáctica de las Matemáticas para Primaria. Madrid: Pearson Educación. 

Fernández Jiménez, A. (2020). La catenaria y su influencia en la arquitectura de Gaudí. La Gaceta de la Real Sociedad Matemática Española (RSME), vol. 23. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344871705