1. The name this piece is “El Drac” and the artist is Antoni Gaudí i Cornet.
“El Drac” (the dragon) is a multicolored mosaic salamander, one of the Antoni Gaudi’s works located at the entrance of the Park Güell in La Salut. “El drac” is one of the statement pieces of Gaudi’s work at Park Güell, an Art Nouveau architecture designed park, which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO under “Works of Antoni Gaudí" in 1984.
2. The technique Anton Guadi used is mosaic.
Mosaic represents a piece of art or image made from the assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone or some other colorful materials. This technique is often used in decorative art or as interior decoration, such as Art Nouveau which influenced Guadi’s work, which can be seen in his work “El drac” as it is adorned in beautiful colored tiling.
3. When I look at this piece to my mind come Modernism and Avant-Garde.
Post-Modernism and Avant-Garde are both movements in which are fluid. These movements have no fixed mold or ideal model they strive to, but are composed by various movements and experiments. In my mind, this work (“El drac”) by Gaudi represents these movements with his unusual combination of architecture, nature, and religion in his art.
4. I myself feel amazed and charmed by the looks of this work.
The form and design of this grand work is just stunning, as many of the artworks by Antoni Gaudí i Cornet usually are. What amazes me the most is the mosaic detailing and the way they represents the structure of the salamander’s skin.
5. I do like this artwork.
Even though I am not usually fond of Avant-Garde, this artwork leaves me speechless. I love the mosaic design and the way the colors and pieces represent the structure of salamander’s skin and I also admire devotion, commitment and time Gaudi has invested creating this artwork.