I saw a quote while I was there that was something along the lines of, "Gaudí is not an artist with whom posthumous collaboration is possible." A couple minutes walking around the church is all that's needed to confirm that notion.
Stayed for 3 hours just to observe the shifting light. I’ll be in Barcelona again on Thurs, can’t wait to go back.
* https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/how-beauty-d...
See also perhaps longer presentation (50m) from Bp. Robert Barron, "Beauty in the Catholic Tradition":
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbfWTlPt8mU
The debate of religion and (forms of) art has an interesting history:
Waiting in line outside was even fun, just looking at all the detail.
Maybe I misunderstand "posthumous collaboration", but the church is literally being built after Gaudi's demise by a bunch of other people, isn't that posthumous collaboration?
Not to mention new materials are available today that are being used and new processes/workflows which change the results slightly too.
Sagrada Familia isn't a 100% implementation of the original vision, as even the original vision was incomplete when Gaudi died.
In this case what they are saying is that Gaudi’s design sense is so unique and iconoclastic that it’s essentially impossible to mix it with other styles of design.
That's what makes it more interesting and fascinating.
Building some great indulgent monument to god wasn't exactly uncontroversial in the political climate at the time, as I understand it.
Anyway, his plans wouldn't have been detailed enough to just go and build it. There was a lot of interpretation to be done in any case.
in contrast other architects worked within a well defined style with rules and systems that can be worked within by modern architects to "posthumously" collaborate. like how you can use the principles of gothic architecture to add a modern addition to a gothic cathedral. the only principle Gaudi followed was natural inspiration and his own interpretation of that, something nobody could ever define
I have been to Barcelona 4 times since I was a kid (1998, 2006, 2009, 2014), and every time the Sagrada Familia looked a little more finished, but still far from being completed. It blows my mind that it will finally be completed in 2 years.