Here is a little note I posted regarding Gaudi over a year ago:

http://boards.fool.com/Message.asp?mid=11255183

Although I had known of his work since Architecture school, I was never a big fan, finding it a little too idiosyncratic and personal. But like most things architectural, experiencing the spaces makes all the difference. Gaudi was clearly a master of the craft.

I was struck recenly by the similarities between the architecture of Gaudi and the paintings of El Greco, some 300 years before. Besides the obvious formal similarities, both seemed to be working around the edges of a conventional style. Both were devoutly religious. Both were ahead of their times stylistically. Of course, I'm not a scholar, but I think it would make an interesting thesis.

I think perhaps there is something about Spain that cultivates a sense of fantasy and the unconventional. All attempts to mimic the conventional styles of Italy or France have been bland and uninspired. But the spirit of invention and innovation is stronger there.

bjd