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Article: Enter the dragon // Wrought-iron gate adds artistic impact to entrance
- Article from:
- Chicago Sun-Times
- Article date:
- May 1, 1988
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright (null) Chicago Sun-Times. (Hide copyright information)
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Throughout his career, Spanish architect Antonio Gaudi was
obsessed with the dragon as a decorative theme. His highest
expression of this motif is the gate to Count Guell's country estate,
built in the late 1880s on the outskirts of Barcelona. What better
symbol of protection from intruders than a "drac" (dragon) gateway of
wrought iron?
Gaudi gave extraordinary expression to common building materials
such as masonry, concrete and iron. Although elaborate gateways were
more common in American designs at the turn of the century, these
days we are apt to settle for standardized materials and designs
crafted in the simplest ways. Art usually is relegated to what can
be hung on the walls.
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