Casa Vincens by Klod5
The residential Casa Vicens (Vicens House) was built between 1883 and 1888 for the ceramics industrialist Manuel Vicens i Montaner at No. 22 Carrer de les Carolines in Barcelona. Forming part of the architect's early period, the building's structure is still dominated by straight lines. The decoration, however, appears as an explosion of imagination and brilliant colors, ideas that Gaudi would not cease to cultivate. This budding originality is seen in the bands of glazed ceramic on the lower part of the building and on the columns of the upper section with its large towers at the corners. Especially exceptional is the interior decoration in Mudejar style, a combination of the elements of Christian art with Arab ornamentation.The interior is at times completely patterned after decorative styles in vogue in Granada in the 14 th and 15 th centuries, such as the stylized stalactitic ceiling in the fumoir. Indeed, many of these elements can still be seen in the Alhambra.Throughout the ground floor, ornamentation is linked together by an abundance of color and life. The ceiling is vividly naturalistic in expression with sculpted sparrows and bunches of cherries surrounding the beams suspended by slender cords. The flowers and plants destroyed by the construction reappear in the building as elements of the architecture. The building was expanded in 1925-1926 under the architect Juan B. de Serra Martinez keeping to the original style and under the guidance of Gaudi. The building remains privately owned.
