Stepping into Casa Batlló was like stepping into a painting of Dali or Picasso, where reality gave way to imagination. Antonio Gaudí went all wild with this one, integrating dragon backs and bones and the spine of a whale. Yet in all that confusion of tiles and wood and stained glass, there was an order in the disorder. There was art to be found in the chaos. If I were to describe Casa Batlló in one word it would be compelling. You could not look at Casa Batlló without actually seeing it. It was a kind of in your face work of art that demanded your attention. Walking from one room to the other, I got the feeling that Gaudí didn’t care if I liked his work or not. Somehow, it was as though when he designed the house he didn’t care if it evoked hatred or interest or awe or inspiration. What mattered was that it compelled people to feel something. Anything. And if indeed this was so, Gaudí achieved just that.
In a world of rules and structure, I found Casa Batlló utterly refreshing. The staircase handrail at the entrance of the house was like the spine of a whale and near the top of the house was a white hallway that felt like walking through the rib cage of a beast. Even the ceilings were not left bare as chandeliers and oddly shaped light fixtures hung from swirling and undulating lines. To top it all off, the back of a large dragon dominated the roof! It was chaos. It was madness. But what compelling chaos and beautiful madness it was.
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