Antoni Gaudi and Modernisme

So I had absolutely no idea who Antoni Gaudi and his fellow Modernistas were before we went to Barcelona, but now when I think of Barcelona that is what comes to mind. Modernisme is Spain's (specifically the area known as Catalan) answer to Art Nouveau. The period lasted from 1888 to 1906 and Gaudi was Barcelona's most famous artist. When I started reading up on Barcelona all of my guidebooks listed Gaudi's church (Sagrada Familia), park (Park Guell) and the Block of Discord with moderista houses as some of the top tourist attractions. The church and the park were definitely the highlights of my trip. The aquarium and the beach were the boys, although the park ranked right up there. Gaudi knew he would never finish the church in his lifetime and it is a work in progress. That's why there are all the cranes and scaffolding on it. It's funded completely by private donations and entry fees and they don't expect it to be finished for at least another 50 years. These pictures are of Gaudi's work, but pictures really don't do the places justice and if art and architecture aren't up your alley, these might be kind of boring.