Modernism

The great specialist in agroindustrial construction in Catalonia, Cèsar Martinell, made his "debut" in Rocafort de Queralt in 1918. The final result, full of innovations and architectural daring, was a great platform for his career.

The winery of Roquefort that we see today is the result of three projects carried out between 1918 and 1947. During the first years, it consisted of a building with two parallel areas and a perpendicular third area which was used as an unloading bay and machine room. Later this was enlarged with two more areas, the modernisation of the machine room, and a new water tank to replace the original.

But without doubt, the most decisive contribution was the use, for the first time, of the Gaudinian parabolic arch as the main support of the structure of the building. The original idea was to have the traditional wooden roof truss as a support for the gabled roof, but the economic circumstances of the time led the architect to change his idea: with the First World War, the price of wood had multiplied five times.

With regard to the "aesthetic" aspect of the winery, the tiling work used in the arches of the doors and windows is particularly outstanding as is the ceramic tiled frieze that runs along the cornice of the building. The main façade of the winery is perfectly symmetrical and highlights the huge window made up of three elements, with rampant arches and round arches. The door consists of a round voussoired arch which, in its time, was the support for the large window. This composition is repeated on the facade of the three areas.

This has to be one of the most beautiful works by the architect Cèsar Martinell. The winery of the Agricultural Union of Saint Isidre of Nulles, on the outskirts of the town, was the third commission in just one year for the most celebrated of the Catalan agricultural architects. With certain lines that remind us of Gothic art, the architecture of the Nulles winery is refined, monumental and elegant.

The structure of the building is slightly different from Martinell's previous works; the construction of Nulles comprises two areas measuring 21 by 18 metres without a separating wall between them. A slender, durable and lightweight "skeleton" that gives the feeling of vastness and allows one to create an open and orderly space. The winery has yet another space, a transversal nave with a simpler structure, based on metal trusses and a sheet metal roof.

The monumentality of the façade fully justifies the name of "wine cathedral". The double basilica area can clearly be seen thanks to its two identical, symmetrical fronts. It has a solid base of stone that runs along longitudinally, broken only by the two doors of each area. The portals outline a parabolic arch and protrude slightly to support the large windows situated above them (also parabolic arches and brickwork). The façade shows off the vertical brickwork pilasters, from the wall front up to the roof where the stepped finish form a symmetrical slope on both sides;  the blind arches and original corners of the façade made from brick pillars forming low relief are also outstanding.

Located in an area with a certain unevenness, topography that was favoured by Martinell for making the best use of space, the winery of Falset was built in 1919.

In this building, that evokes the shapes of a castle, we find one of the characteristics that define Modernista architecture and which continued to be used by the disciples of Gaudí and Domènech i Montaner: the recovery and free interpretation of Catalan medieval architectural forms.

The winery consists of two perpendicular buildings, responding to the division of working spaces: the unloading bay and the machine rooms are in the smallest building, and the vats and presses are in the larger one.

But the difference in Falset is the absence of the parabolic arc. The sloping roof is supported by the classic wooden roof trusses which, in turn, rest on brick pillars together with side arches. On the central structure of the winery of Falset we can see 9 highly stylised vertical windows crowned with a large relieving arch which stands on four brick pilasters that reach the ground. Of the three gateways to the winery, the main one forms a round voussoir arch in the medieval style.

On both sides stand two square plan towers, with large vertical openings and corners finished with brickwork, which contrasts with the white of the rest of the wall and creates a beautiful balance of lines and colours. The last element worth noting is the water tank. Functional and artistic, the tank at the winery of Falset is circular and is supported by two crossed parabolic arches and four pilasters that surround it, all constructed in brickwork.

The cooperative winery of Espluga de Francolí was the first of its kind to be commissioned by a renowned architect. Pere Domènech i Roura, son of Lluís Domènech i Montaner, initiated the construction of the "signature wineries" or "wineries of the rich" with the design and direction of the works. Subsequently, Cèsar Martinell also worked at the Espluga Winery.  Erected in 1913, it was the first Modernista cooperative winery of Catalonia and of the rest of the Spanish State. Today, this centre, a pioneer of the most artistic and innovative the cooperative system houses the facilities of the Wine Museum.

The layout of the winery is similar to that of other contemporary buildings, comprising: three rectangular, parallel areas, individualised two-sided roofs and another nave placed at right angles to the others. In the structure of the winery we find all the Modernista genius. Pere Domènech designed a system of pillars in a cross that became ogival arches which make the role of the transverse and side arches of an area (solutions previously employed in medieval architecture). The areas, 44 by 12 metres, housed a total of 40, reinforced cement vats each with a capacity of 340 hectolitres, and several underground presses. The perpendicular area was slightly smaller (13 by 8 metres) and housed the entrance bay and machine room (with the latest presses of the time). As an annex to this nave, the winery also had a laboratory in order to control the production process more effectively.

The facade is equal for the three main areas. Historians talk about elements that recall the most genuine Catalan architecture: ogival arcades with small windows, brick pillars arranged vertically, triangular crowns and galleries of blind arches reminiscent of Lombard Romanesque. The materials used for the façade were crushed stone, rendering and brickwork. Another "aesthetic" element is the water tank. Located next to the unloading bay, it is a circular brick tower crowned by a conical roof decorated with classic Modernista mosaic.

In 1915, the winery of Espluga de Francolí occupied 1,311 square metres and had 160 members. Cèsar Martinell made an extension in 1929 by adding another area. In 1990 it was renovated and restored and, finally, in 1998 the Wine Museum was opened.

At No. 115, La Rambla in Barcelona, we find an impressive modernista building designed by Josep Domènech i Estapà. It houses the headquarters of the Reial Acadèmia de Ciències i Arts de Barcelona (Royal Academy of Sciences and Arts of Barcelona - RACAB), inaugurated in 1764 thanks to the efforts of several great men of the city. Currently, with a history of over two and a half centuries, the institution continues to promote scientific and technological knowledge in the city.

The two towers of the building, related to astronomical measurements and completed in 1893, frame a clock that, for decades, determined the official time in Barcelona. It is flanked by sculptures that represent scientific - with a compass - and artistic genius. These two figures are by Rafael Atché i Farré, who was also responsible for the statue of Christopher Columbus at the end of La Rambla.

Notable inside the building is the Sala dels Rellotges (Hall of Clocks), with a spectacular collection of mechanisms such as the astronomical clock of Albert Billeter, winner of the Gold Medal at the Universal Exhibition of 1888. On the same floor, the Sala d’Instruments (Hall of Instruments) has a unique exhibition of apparatus and machines originating from the 18th to the 20th centuries; conserved here is the daguerreotype camera with which the first photograph in Spain was taken. It was in 1839 of the Porxos d’en Xifré (Pla de Palau), with an exposure time of more than 20 minutes!

In the Sala d’Actes (Meeting Room) are the mural paintings by Fèlix Mestres. The archive and the library contain a documentary collection of great historical value: with over one hundred thousand volumes, it is one of the most important collections in Spain.

Designed by the artist and engineer Miquel Utrillo between 1910 and 1918, the Maricel Palace became, from its very opening, a classic of the Noucentista style. Currently, the complex maintains its great artistic and architectural value intact and has become one of the most emblematic buildings in Sitges.

This monumental complex, inspired by the beauty of the ancient and modern folk art, was commissioned by the American magnate, collector and philanthropist Charles Deering (1852-1927), who wanted a residential building in which to house his magnificent collection of Hispanic art. With the reform of the old Hospital de Sant Joan and the subsequent annexation of several fishermen's houses on Carrer Fonollar, Utrillo built an exceptional ensemble which received the praise of artists and intellectuals of the time. For Joaquim Folch i Torres, the Maricel Palace was "the fruit of the culmination of modern Catalan civilisation".

With austere lines and respecting the characteristic white colour of the area, the exterior of the Palace has several terraces decorated with local ceramics and projecting above is the tower of Sant Miquel. It is crowned by a series of battlements and the façade has a Gothic sculpture of the Saint which came from the bridge in Balaguer. Throughout the building there is the characteristic emblem of the sun in red rising over the blue of the sea, the symbol of the palace designed by Utrillo himself.

Inside, the Palace is arranged around the Gold Room, the Blue Room, the Chapel Room, the Ship’s Room and the cloister – which offers a wonderful panoramic view of the Mediterranean. Of the decoration, notable items include the sculptural elements by Pere Jou and the murals in the entrance hall by Josep M. Sert, inspired by the Great War. The complex is completed with various artistic elements that combine aesthetics and functionality, the work of numerous local artisans.

Disagreements between Deering and Utrillo meant the end of the initial Maricel Palace project. However, with the recent restoration of the architectural and conceptual whole and the reorganisation of the museum collection by the Maricel Museum, this extraordinary complex has had its vocation restored as a place dedicated to the arts, heritage and culture.

Jacint Verdaguer, author of L'Atlàntida and Canigó, and one of the great architects of the revival of Catalan as a literary language, lived part of his childhood in the current Verdaguer House-Museum in Folgueroles. Opened in 1967, it is one of the oldest literary museums in Catalonia.

The house is from the 17th century and is divided into ground floor (originally intended for the agricultural tools), first floor, attic and a courtyard at the rear. It is located at 7, Carrer Major in Folgueroles, next to Cal Doctor (no. 9). When the young Verdaguer lived there, the two houses formed a single building.

The project dates back to the early 20th century, when the idea arose of creating a museum in Folgueroles dedicated to the memory of Verdaguer. The collection - brought together by the Association Amics de Verdaguer (Friends of Verdaguer Association) with the advice of Eduard Junyent and Josep M. Garrut (curators of the MEV - Epsicopal Museum of Vic, and the MHCB - Barcelona City History Museum, respectively) - is arranged into three sections: biographical, with items that belonged to the poet; ethnographical, with various objects of everyday life (on the first floor, the domestic rooms of a mid-19th century house have been preserved); and the artistic, with pieces by artists such as Duran fields, Pahissa and Perejaume. Preserved in the library, are some 800 items among which are books, periodicals, graphical, sound and audiovisual materials.

Joan Maragall was one of the leading figures of modernista poetry, though he also wrote prose. He produced more than 450 texts, including articles, essays, speeches, biographical sketches and prologues. The whole of his documentary legacy is in the Joan Maragall Archive, a documentation centre located in his final residence, in the district of Sant Gervasi in Barcelona.  Currently this building also serves as a House-Museum, allowing one to see the most intimate sides of one of the great names of the Catalan Renaixença.

The Joan Maragall Archive brings together a significant documentary collection about the figure and work of the poet and about Modernisme as a whole. It was founded in 1911, after the death of Maragall, at the behest of his widow. In 1993, the centre was given over to the Biblioteca de Catalunya (National Library of Catalonia).

Students of the work of Maragall will find a complete collection of manuscript works, among which there is extensive correspondence. The archive also maintains the personal library of the poet with a thousand volumes and has all of the editions of his works. In addition to the documentary collection itself, there is the library of criticism of the work of the writer, original scores of his poems, the iconographic collection and some 10,000 press clippings.

Although the building underwent modifications after its refurbishment in 1957, various objects of the poet and his family are preserved here. Visitors can tour the entrance hall, the great hall, the dining room, the study and two bedrooms, in which you will find the original furnishings, as well as photographs and works of art by modernista artists such as Rusiñol and Casas.