II. Central Part

Chapter 2 Architectural Ideas and Aesthetic Characteristics in the Writings and Plans and Drawings of Jujol

2.1 The Three Periods in Jujol's Architectural Activity

Jujol's architectural activity spans approximately fifty years, including the period during which he studied at the Barcelona School of Architecture; this career is organised and analysed in three periods, as indicated at the outset of the Introduction. According to the periodisation of S. Tarragó 1) presented in the prologue to the first monograph on Jujol's activity, <La arquitectura de J. Mª. Jujol>, which was examined in Chapter 2 of the Introduction, Jujol's architectural activity is divided into the <First Period (1901–1908)>, encompassing the time from his enrolment at the Barcelona School of Architecture to his period as a collaborator of Gaudí; the <Second Period (1908–1926)>, during which he initiated his activity as an independent architect and produced numerous works of singular and distinctive morphology; and the <Third Period (1926–1949)>, extending from the death of Gaudí in 1926, through the 1929 International Exposition of Barcelona and the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939, until his own death. The periodisation proposed by S. Tarragó takes into account the social context of Jujol's life trajectory, and the present work adopts the same framework.

In the present chapter, drawing on these three periods as a basis, the primary sources left by Jujol are analysed — first his writings, and then his plans and drawings — before proceeding to examine his principal architectural works.

2.2 Inventory and Classification of Jujol's Writings

The texts by Jujol compiled in the aforementioned list of the Public Library of Tarragona may be classified into three broad groups: texts commenting on his own works, texts explaining historical buildings and religious ornaments preserved in Catalonia, and obituaries dedicated to acquaintances and friends.

Among those commenting on his own works are texts referring to works carried out in collaboration with Gaudí during the <First Period>, such as "El monumento a Jaume el Conquistador" 2); those of the <Second Period>, in which he initiated his activity as an independent architect, such as "La primera iglesia de Vistabella" 3), which explains the <Iglesia de Vistabella>, and "El nuevo estandarte de Maitines de la Catedral" 4), which describes a banner designed by Jujol for the matins of Tarragona Cathedral; and those of the <Third Period>, with commentaries on two major works constructed for the 1929 International Exposition of Barcelona: "Sobre la fuente conmemorativa de la Plaza de España de 1929" 5) and "Comentario del arquitecto sobre el Pabellón de la Moda de la Exposición" 6).

"La primera iglesia de Vistabella" is the most extensive text that Jujol wrote about his own works. In it, after narrating the history of the project, he describes its architectural composition in the following words: "The church has a square floor plan, with four pillars from which arches spring. It resembles the crown of a palm tree. These arches support stepped arches that rise in height, transmitting the forces to the ground without resorting to the adjustment mechanisms normally employed, such as flying buttresses, pinnacles, etc. In plan, the arches define primarily a quadrangular space but also create several triangular spaces. The use of the arches prevents the vaulted surface from being interrupted, so that no excessive surface fragmentation occurs, thereby achieving a smooth surface suitable for receiving decoration." With this he expounds the intention behind his design. He further adds: "...In medieval churches, the exterior appearance of the building responded to the consequences of its structure, and the fact that each of its components possessed a good form also elevated the whole...", revealing part of his architectural thought that gave rise to the conception of this church, whose principal structural element is the catenary arch. Likewise, by asserting: "In my opinion, Gothic architecture is clearly a specialisation resulting from the organisation and systematisation of the Byzantine solution", he also makes manifest his vision of the history of architectural styles. (Fig. 1)

In "Comentario del arquitecto sobre el Pabellón de la Moda de la Exposición", Jujol describes the style of the work and the symbolic content of each part, and notes: "There is one clearly optimal viewpoint from which to contemplate the building. One of them is the intersection of the Avenida de las Corts and the Calle de Castillejos. The enormous accumulation of various parts — the dome in the foreground and the pergola of the terrace — conveys an idea of the quality of the building. It was something more advanced in concept than in reality. From the Exposition entrance situated opposite the building, the Fashion Pavilion presented (apart from the distance) the same appearance as Bernini's colonnade of St Peter's." With this he hints at the intention to achieve a visual effect inspired by Baroque architecture. (Fig. 2)

In the writings in which he comments on his own works, Jujol restricts himself to describing the specific intention of the design of each project and the circumstances of its genesis, without including any direct reference to his architectural thought. This is due, in the author's view, to the fact that Jujol was an architect who attached greater importance to creative practice than to theoretical elaboration.

That Jujol was an architect who remained within the ideological framework of Catalan Modernisme — which emerged from medievalism and was preceded by the Renaixença, which sought its recovery — may be inferred, among other things, from the fact that in the article "La primera iglesia de Vistabella" he emphasises and praises the circumstance that the work was built largely thanks to the voluntary labour of the local residents. This writing conveys Jujol's nostalgia for medievalism and the rural community, and it can be deduced that, from an ideological standpoint, he drew on the medievalist aspect of Catalan Modernisme. The question of the extent to which Jujol achieved in his work an independent territory that goes beyond historical expression will be addressed in subsequent writings through the analysis of specific works.

The article "La primera iglesia de Vistabella" makes it clear that Jujol valued vernacular expression, with its narrative character and rootedness in the rural community, above the refined expression of specialist builders.

From the period following the Spanish Civil War, texts have been preserved that comment on historical buildings and religious ornaments of Catalonia, such as "Sobre la iglesia de Santa Maria del Pi" 7), "Sobre la fiesta del Centenario" 8), "El lugar de la bella vista" 9), and "La imagen de Jesús en la Semana Santa de Barcelona" 10). In addition, obituaries have been preserved, including "En memoria de la señora Concepció Mallafré" 11), "Necrológica del señor Ángel Bru" 12), and "Necrológica del señor Casimir Llobet" 13).

The foregoing summarises what can be understood of Jujol's own architectural thought on the basis of the writings preserved to the present day. The complete texts of Jujol's writings cited in part above are included as an appendix at the end of the present work.

Fig. 1) Exterior of the Church of Vistabella Fig. 2) Exterior of the Fashion Pavilion of the Universal Exposition

2.3 Jujol's Autograph Plans and Drawings

2.3.1 Previous Research on Jujol's Autograph Plans and Drawings

In Chapter 2 of the Introduction, all books and articles published from the time of Jujol's death to the present day whose principal subject is his person and work were exhaustively traced and classified, with the aim of charting the genealogy of Jujol studies. In Chapter 2 of the Central Part, Jujol's own discourse has already been analysed through his writings. Through this process, an examination of the person and work of the architect Jujol has been carried out both from an external and from an internal perspective.

These studies demonstrated that, although the extant writings of Jujol make it possible to understand certain aspects of his architectural thought, their small number renders them insufficient for approaching a comprehensive overview.

By contrast, Jujol's autograph plans and drawings 14) have been preserved from all periods of his activity down to the present day, and are considered a fundamental source of information for exploring his architectural thought. In the present section, taking these plans and drawings as a basis, the aim is to advance the examination of Jujol's person and work from an internal perspective — one that his sparse writings do not permit.

The treatment of plans and drawings in previous research may be summarised in three types. The first consists in presenting them as illustrations of individual works within the framework of an introduction to Jujol's oeuvre, as observed in the 1974 biographical monograph written by the architect's son, <La arquitectura de J. Mª. Jujol> 15). The second consists in including them as illustrations in the context of developing an approach to Jujol through his relationship with modern artistic movements, as in the work <Jujol> 16) by Ignasi de Solà-Morales, published in 1990. The third, and most relevant, comprises only two works that make Jujol's plans and drawings their direct subject: the 1984 article by Professor Joan Bassegoda, holder of the Gaudí Chair at the Higher Technical School of Architecture of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia and a recognised expert in Gaudí studies, entitled "Los dibujos de Josep Maria Jujol — En memoria del gran arquitecto tarraconense" 17), and the catalogue of the exhibition "El universo de Jujol" 18) held in 1998, entitled "Planos de arquitectura de Jujol en Barcelona 1897–1948" 19). The former analyses 14 drawings from Jujol's daily life, among others, in order to reveal aspects of his creative attitude through the use of anecdotes; the latter publishes 170 plans of the buildings Jujol left in Barcelona and is the only publication to include Jujol's plans and drawings exclusively as graphic material, although it does not exceed the scope of an exhibition catalogue.

The brief essay entitled "Arquitectura sin fronteras" 20) by Daniel Giralt-Miracle, which accompanies "Planos de arquitectura de Jujol en Barcelona 1897–1948", offers an overview of Jujol as an architect and addresses his relationship with contemporary Catalan artists such as Picasso, Miró, and Dalí; it also points to the need for a precise analysis of how Jujol's artistic and pictorial creative capacity was applied in his architectural works, and suggests that this could be a key to understanding the content of his collaboration with Gaudí, although the specific analysis is left as a task still to be undertaken.

Thus, although the majority of studies on Jujol's person and work cite and include his plans and drawings, these are employed solely as illustrations, and no analysis of his creative attitude directly grounded in them has been undertaken.

For this reason, the author intends, first, to organise Jujol's plans and drawings in accordance with the periodisation of his architectural activity; second, to indicate the significance of the fact that said plans and drawings are connected with the whole of Jujol's life as a person and as a maker; and third, to reveal certain aspects of his creative attitude through the plans and drawings as primary sources, by inferring his disposition toward them.

2.3.2 The Significance of Jujol's Autograph Plans and Drawings

In studies on Catalan Modernisme, the fact that the majority of Gaudí's autograph plans — which have been the central focus of research until now — were lost during the Spanish Civil War has prevented any systematic analysis of architects' autograph plans from being carried out to date. Therefore, the ordering of Jujol's autograph plans and drawings may contribute not only to understanding his person and work, but also to understanding the creative attitude of Gaudí and of other Spanish and Catalan architects of the same era; the present work aspires to be the point of departure for that undertaking.

Josep F. Ràfols, in his writings, noted that what particularly distinguished Jujol among Gaudí's disciples was his outstanding draughtsmanship 21). Vincenç Lichterin, in the essay <Jujol pintor-arquitecto> 22) included in <Jujol Dissenyador>, asserts that, after the Modern Movement, scarcely any architects practised painting as an autonomous means of expression, and that if one were to name any, one might mention Le Corbusier, Scharoun, and Jujol; among them, Lichterin argues, none shows the influence of painting as explicitly as Jujol. Lichterin contends that Jujol continually incorporated various arts into his architectural works, and that the collages of wrought iron and ceramics, the stained glass, and other plastic elements observed in his works represent a direct application of techniques of calligraphy, collage, and other graphic arts in which he excelled.

In Jujol's plans and drawings, every kind of support is employed: ordinary white paper, drafting paper, tracing paper, synthetic paper and kraft paper, heliographic paper, and even printed newsprint and the reverse sides of calendars; and as writing and drawing instruments, pencil, ink, coloured pencils, watercolour, ruling pen, and many other highly varied tools are used.

In these plans and drawings, one observes hand movements that repeat as though driven by an inner impulse; what is to be read in them is not the definitive image of an already decided architecture, but rather the process of searching for a form that has not yet emerged.

The sculptor Joan Matamala, who served as an assistant to Antoni Gaudí alongside Jujol, declared in 1966: "Gaudí was more geometrical, while Jujol, without being too bound by anything, was intuitive and more spontaneous." 23). Furthermore, concerning Jujol's collaboration with Gaudí on the restoration of Palma de Mallorca Cathedral 24), Father Emili Sagristà, who was present at the works of that period, testified that Jujol, when painting the interior of the cathedral, traced the motifs on the choir stalls by improvising, without making any prior sketch, with a brush from which drops of paint fell, and that Gaudí approved of this method 24).

This apparently improvised method can be found in numerous examples: in the work executed in collaboration with Gaudí, the benches of Parque Güell; in independent works, the interior of the <Tienda Mañach>, the decoration of the roof and the sgraffito on the facades of <Casa Bofarull>, the sgraffito of <Casa Negra>, the mural decoration of the <Iglesia de Vistabella>, among many others; and this creative attitude of Jujol was not limited to his plans and drawings, but was equally notable in the actual construction work of his buildings.

2.3.3 Plans and Drawings of the <First Period> (1901–1908)

2.3.3.1 Plans and Drawings from the Early Years at the Barcelona School of Architecture

Jujol enrolled in the higher education preparatory course in 1896, passed the entrance examination to the Barcelona School of Architecture in 1898, and received specialised architectural training from the academic year 1899–1900 onwards.

From this period, ten drawings of animals and plants (Fig. 3) are preserved that appear to be exercises from the subjects <Copia de formas> 25) taken in 1899–1900 or <Copia de plantas> 26) taken in 1900–1901, as well as a plan entitled <Rosetón de estilo gótico> [Rose window in Gothic style] (Fig. 4) that appears to be an exercise from <Detalles de arquitectura> 27) or <Sombras y perspectiva> 28), subjects of 1900–1901. According to the interpretation proposed by Lichterin mentioned above, the organic forms observable in the drawings of animals and plants are directly related to the plastic forms of the architectural works that Jujol would subsequently execute, particularly the decorative forms. Further preserved works, as exercises for the course <Proyectos de arquitectura I> 29) of 1903, include the work executed in collaboration with his fellow student Rafael Masó 30), <Gran portal de la catedral de Toledo> [Great Portal of Toledo Cathedral] (Fig. 5), and the individual work <Puerta de hierro forjado para un parque ciudadano> [Wrought-iron gate for a city park] (Fig. 6). In the latter, which depicts Saint Michael guarding the gate against a dragon attempting to enter, a clear influence of the <Puerta del dragón> [Dragon Gate] of Antoni Gaudí's <Finca Güell> is discernible. Two additional exercises of undetermined subject were also identified. (Fig. 7)

Fig. 3) Academic Exercises at the Barcelona School of Architecture (<Copy of Forms> or <Copy of Plans>) Fig. 4) Gothic-Style Rose Window Fig. 5) Main Doorway of Toledo Cathedral Fig. 6) Wrought-Iron Gate for a Public Park Fig. 7) Other Academic Exercises

2.3.3.2 Floor Plan and Cross-Section of the <Capilla votiva a Santa Eulalia>

Among the exercises produced at the Barcelona School of Architecture, the <Capilla votiva a Santa Eulalia> [Votive Chapel to Saint Eulalia] 32), drawn in 1905 as an exercise for <Proyectos de arquitectura III> 31), is particularly noteworthy. Of this work there survive a floor plan (Fig. 8) traced with ruling pen and filled with ink, and a cross-section (Fig. 9) on which transparent watercolour and shadows have been applied over a technical pencil drawing. The geometric composition and precise draughtsmanship of the floor plan, and the delicate watercolour shadows of the cross-section, correspond to the academic orientation of the Barcelona School of Architecture; however, the crossing of the principal structural elements around the main axis, the large central spire formed by the intersection of catenary arches with the bell tower at its crown, and the small peripheral pinnacles allow one to perceive the germ of the ideas that will be extended in subsequent works such as the <Iglesia de Vistabella> and the <Iglesia de Montferri> 33).

The cross-section, although precisely and delicately drawn in accordance with the academic tradition, shows the pinnacles extending upward as though dissolving into the air, which already allows one to perceive the creative attitude that would characterise Jujol throughout his entire life: not reproducing a form already decided, but drawing it as though summoning new forms until the very last moment.

Fig. 8) Votive Chapel to Santa Eulalia, Floor Plan Fig. 9) Ibid., Section

2.3.3.3 Elevation of the Final-Year Thesis Project "Establecimiento balneario"

The elevation of the final-year thesis project of the Barcelona School of Architecture, entitled "Establecimiento balneario" [Bathing Establishment] (Fig. 10), is preserved as a technical pencil drawing on card stock with watercolour. In this work, forms anticipating <Casa Bofarull> can be recognised in the central tower, but as a whole it is a large-scale work based on the neoclassical style, with large arches repeated in layers and a symmetrical facade, which renders it singular in comparison with the formal freedom of other works. It may be inferred that this represents the germ of the neoclassical style that will reappear in the <Third Period> in the <Pabellón de la Moda de la Exposición Internacional> 34) and the <Fuente monumental de la Plaza de España> 35).

Fig. 10) Elevation of the Final-Year Thesis Project "Balneario Establishment"

2.3.3.4 Plans and Drawings as a Collaborator of Gallissà, Font, and Gaudí

Concurrently with his studies, Jujol began working from 1901 to 1903 in the studio of the architect Antoni Maria Gallissà, and following Gallissà's sudden death, from 1903, in the studio of Josep Font, where he was permitted to participate actively in the design process in a capacity that might be described as that of a collaborator. Among the plans and drawings from these collaborations, the preparatory sketches for the sgraffito decoration of <Casa Gallissà> (Fig. 11) and various plans and sketches related to the <Biblioteca de la Sociedad Cultural Academia de Barcelona> 36) (Fig. 12) are preserved. These sketches demonstrate that Jujol, still a student, already possessed a characteristic and consistent style that would persist throughout his entire life.

As works produced in connection with his collaboration with Gaudí, which began around 1906, the unfolded elevation of the interior of Casa Milà (Fig. 13) is preserved. In this drawing, the form of the wooden frames of the glazed doors is fixed on paper using watercolour over pencil strokes of indefinite outline, causing that ambiguous form to settle onto the plane. The fact that the form traced directly by Jujol was realised as-is in the built work allows one to deduce that Jujol was a figure who immersed himself in Gaudí's creative activity and was able to develop his own creative capacity fully within it. Other known participations of Jujol in Gaudí's works include <Casa Batlló>, the <Monumento a Jaume el Conquistador> 37), the <benches of Parque Güell>, and the <Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia>, but no plans or drawings by Jujol's hand are known in connection with these works. This is probably because his participation consisted primarily in the direct execution of constructive elements and in the fabrication of models.

Fig. 11) Sketch of the Sgraffito Decoration of Casa Gallissà Fig. 12) Sketches for the Reading Room of the Barcelona Academy Fig. 13) Unfolded Elevation of the Interior of Casa Milà

2.3.3.5 Conclusions on the Plans and Drawings of the <First Period>

From the foregoing, the plans and drawings of Jujol's <First Period> — specifically the <Capilla votiva a Santa Eulalia>, the final-year thesis project, the preparatory sketches for the sgraffito of <Casa Gallissà>, and the various plans and sketches for the <Biblioteca de la Sociedad Cultural Academia de Barcelona> — make it possible to understand that Jujol maintained from his student years a consistent style that would continue in subsequent works. The similarity between the <Puerta de hierro forjado para un parque ciudadano> and Gaudí's <Puerta del dragón de la Finca Güell> demonstrates the influence that Gaudí exerted on him. At the same time, by cross-referencing the fact that the interior elevation of <Casa Milà> drawn by Jujol was realised almost exactly as it was in the actual building with the accounts of the collaboration between Gaudí and Jujol, it becomes clear that Jujol, while having received Gaudí's influence, maintained a fundamental style of his own from his earliest years under the direction of Gallissà and Font; and that in the collaboration with Gaudí, the latter recognised the parts corresponding to Jujol in his works with full freedom, allowing Jujol his own expression.

2.3.4 Plans and Drawings of the <Second Period> (1908–1926)

Jujol initiated his activity as a de facto independent architect in 1908 with the design of the <Teatro de la Asociación Obrera de Tarragona (Teatro Metropol)> 38), but the full flowering of his singular formal world took place with <Tienda Mañach> 39) of 1911 (Fig. 14). The decoration of the interior of <Tienda Mañach>, particularly the painting of the walls and ceiling, is clearly and directly related to the decorative motifs of animals and plants presented above. More significant still is the fact that the plastic expression of this work is entirely Jujol's own, without relation to historical styles, and does not fall within Modernisme in its eclectic sense.

In the <Second Period>, Jujol executed works that may be considered his most representative and that best display his distinctive style: <Torre de la Creu> 40), <Casa Bofarull> 41), <Casa Negra> 42), and the <Iglesia de Vistabella> 43). From the plans and drawings of this period, those that appear most revealing of Jujol's creative attitude will be examined. In particular, for <Casa Bofarull> and the <Iglesia de Vistabella>, whose archive — preserved in the collection managed by the architect's son — supposedly gathers all the plans and drawings currently identified, an exhaustive study of all of them was carried out with the aim of inferring Jujol's creative process.

Fig. 14) Tienda Mañach, Sketch and Completed Interior

2.3.4.1 The 1912 Perspective and the 1913 Elevation Related to <Torre de la Creu>

<Torre de la Creu> is a work built in Sant Joan Despí, on the outskirts of Barcelona. The initial perspective inscribed with "1912" (Fig. 15) is examined first. This perspective is drawn with a soft pencil on kraft paper, with freely dancing curved lines, executed with energy and without any trace of corrections. The flag — which appears to be the Catalan flag — waving in the perspective, together with the form of the undulating cornice, expresses the speed of the stroke in executing the sketch and Jujol's own exalted state of mind. The curves of the flag and the accompanying undulating cornice were clearly traced with the same hand impulse, and this perspective demonstrates how the movement of Jujol's hand — an expression of his inner exaltation — was fixed on paper through flowing pencil lines and materialised as a real architectural form. In this initial perspective, an image very close to the definitive form is already drawn, not only of the whole but also of details such as the roof railing and the cantilevered first-floor oriel.

The 1913 elevation (Fig. 16) is examined next. Like the perspective just mentioned, it is drawn in pencil on kraft paper, but with a form more precise in character as an elevation, and in the upper part calculation annotations remain that appear to be traces of the study of the floor heights in view of construction. While the study was advancing toward greater constructive detail, this plan shows a spire rising at the centre of the building that was not actually built, which allows one to perceive that Jujol continued ceaselessly testing forms even at an advanced stage of the design process.

Fig. 15) Perspective of Torre de la Creu Fig. 16) Elevation of Torre de la Creu Fig. 17) Cross-Section of Casa Bofarull Before the Renovation (Survey) Fig. 18) Floor Plan of Casa Bofarull Before the Renovation (Survey)

2.3.4.2 Sketches, Croquis, and Details of <Casa Bofarull>

In the summer of 1913, Jujol received the commission to remodel <Casa Bofarull> in Els Pallaresos, a village near the city of Tarragona, in the province of Tarragona, Catalonia. The traditional stone farmhouse of Catalonia and Spain is known as a <masia>, and Casa Bofarull belongs to this typology: it was a large-scale complex comprising the main house, an annexed warehouse, and a separate outbuilding divided by a narrow alley that included the agricultural working space.

In February 2004, the author conducted a detailed measured survey of the work and simultaneously studied, in the archive managed by the architect's son, all the plans and drawings of <Casa Bofarull> currently identified, totalling 117 items 44). Of these, 14 are architectural surveys of the existing structure, 37 are general plans such as floor plans, cross-sections and elevations, 57 are detail plans, and 9 are other related plans. (Appendix 1). In the preserved plans and drawings of this work, elements of a sketch character persist until the final phase, indicating that Jujol continued ceaselessly searching for form.

In the initial conception phase, Jujol left architectural surveys of the condition prior to the remodelling (Fig. 17, 18) and sketches of the exterior appearance (Fig. 19). At an early stage of the construction process, which unfolded discontinuously, Jujol committed to paper the global conception in the form of a bird's-eye-view sketch (Fig. 20). There also exists a plan on which, on a large-format sheet, elevations through to column details and other sketches are drawn together (Fig. 21). It can be observed that while confirming the overall form through sketches, he simultaneously developed the conception of details, such as the specific design of each part of the columns.

In addition to these, general plans drawn at scales such as 1/100 are preserved (Fig. 22), but they do not include dimensions down to the level of detail, retaining a sketch character. It can be seen that Jujol, having conceived the whole through these plans, would carry out the working design by adding detail plans at scales of 1/10 or 1/5. (Fig. 23)

However, even in these detail plans, not all dimensions are defined down to the last detail, and it may be inferred that for subtle curves and curved surfaces in particular, the construction was carried out following the forms traced in the plans.

In this way, one can understand the process by which the overall image — drawn as though keeping the initial concept alive — together with the forms of the drawings, which appear to reproduce directly the movement of Jujol's hand, were materialised almost exactly as an architectural work.

Fig. 19) Sketch of the Exterior of Casa Bofarull Before the Renovation Fig. 20) Overall Sketch of the Renovation Proposal (Bird's-Eye Perspective) Fig. 21) Sketch of Casa Bofarull Fig. 22) Section of the Renovation Proposal Fig. 23) Detail Drawing of the Columns

2.3.4.3 Plans and Drawings Related to the <Iglesia de Vistabella>

The <Iglesia de Vistabella> is a work constructed as a parish church in the village of Vistabella, on the outskirts of the city of Tarragona. From the archive managed by the architect's son, 65 items 45) are preserved — comprising all the plans and drawings of the Iglesia de Vistabella currently identified — and these were studied in February 2004. Of these, 21 are general plans such as floor plans, cross-sections and elevations, 39 are detail plans, and 1 is another related plan. (Appendix 2).

Jujol received in 1917 the commission to design the <Iglesia de Vistabella> and, on the day following its receipt, he presented an inverted funicular model 46) with chains and expounded the basic conception of the work using catenary arches. However, the preserved plans and drawings have revealed that, even in the cross-section dated 1920 — three years after construction had begun (Fig. 24) — Jujol continued to calculate and revise the form of the catenary arches, and that while the catenary arch more closely approximates a hyperbola geometrically, Jujol approximated it to a parabola.

Furthermore, Jujol left numerous plans and drawings concerning the forms of the windows and doors (Fig. 25), the design of the altar (Fig. 26), and the motifs of the stained glass (Fig. 27), among others, indicating that detailed study continued even during construction. Many of these drawings are executed on the reverse sides of newspapers and other printed matter. This attests to the fact that Jujol carried out his daily design activity as part of everyday life, and reveals the attitude of a designer for whom the work of architectural design was equivalent to daily existence.

Fig. 24) Verification Drawing of the Catenary Arch Fig. 25) Study Drawing of Window and Door Forms Fig. 26) Study for the Design of the Altar Fig. 27) Sketch for the Stained-Glass Windows

2.3.4.4 Conclusions on the Plans and Drawings of the <Second Period>

From the study of the various works of the <Second Period>, an attempt may be made to formulate Jujol's creative attitude and process during this period. That is to say, as observed in <Casa Negra> and <Casa Bofarull>, Jujol would first conduct a site reconnaissance and commit to sketches the image of the location. This would be followed by a rough delineation of the overall image through perspectives or elevations. In many works, such as <Casa Bofarull> and the <Iglesia de Vistabella>, the initial overall image traced in this way was materialised almost exactly as it was.

General plans, such as floor plans, cross-sections and elevations, were drawn at scales such as 1/100, but did not include dimensions down to the level of detail and retained a sketch character. In these general plans, details were drawn with a soft pencil or other instruments in order to confirm the overall image, and in <Casa Bofarull> the expression of the details drawn in this manner corresponds almost exactly to the parts actually executed (Fig. 22, Fig. 28). Even in the detail plans drawn subsequently, dimensions were not inscribed to encompass every detail, and these plans attempted to capture directly, through the lines traced by Jujol himself, the actual appearance of the volumes — which include many surfaces and curves.

Fig. 28) Current State of Casa Bofarull

2.3.5 Plans and Drawings of the <Third Period> (1926–1949)

2.3.5.1 Site Plans of the <Fuente monumental de la Plaza de España> and of the <Pabellón de la Moda de la Exposición Internacional>

From the <Third Period>, numerous plans and drawings of the <Fuente monumental de la Plaza de España> and the <Pabellón de la Moda de la Exposición Internacional>, both constructed on the occasion of the 1929 International Exposition of Barcelona, are preserved. Among the plans and drawings of these two works, the most characteristic are those showing that the design was developed by attaching importance to the direction of the viewer's gaze from the street. (Fig. 29, Fig. 30)

These works possess a monumental and public character not found in other works by Jujol, which is why one can observe in them an attention to the urban landscape and to external appearance from a perspectival viewpoint that was not present in earlier works, and which is also reflected in the drawings.

Fig. 29) Distribution Study for the Monumental Fountain Fig. 30) Distribution Study for the Fashion Pavilion of the International Exposition

2.3.5.2 Perspective Sketches of the <Fuente monumental de la Plaza de España>

In the works of Jujol's <Third Period>, the formal freedom observable in the <Second Period> disappears, and the whole is articulated with a classicist expression. However, in the perspective sketches drawn for the <Fuente monumental de la Plaza de España> (Fig. 31), one can discern Jujol's intention to aspire to a plastic quality overflowing with dynamism, not merely seeking a static and picturesque beauty, and one can see a Jujol who searches for the possibilities of his formal expression within the framework of the evolution from Modernisme to Noucentisme over time. This perspective sketch is drawn with pen and black ink on kraft paper, and it is apparent that the overflowing formal details beyond the classicist composition of the whole could not have emerged from the elevation alone, drawn by the academicist method (Fig. 32).

Fig. 31) Perspective Sketch of the Monumental Fountain Fig. 32) Elevation of the Monumental Fountain

2.3.5.3 Conclusions on the Plans and Drawings of the <Third Period>

As seen above, in the <Third Period> large-scale works with a monumental character that are not found in other periods predominate, and works of primarily static and classicist composition are therefore characteristic. However, as the dynamic stroke characteristic of Jujol's <Second Period> can be discerned in the plans and drawings of details, these works too will have emerged through a series of sketch, croquis, and plan-and-drawing operations. It may be said that within architectural works of classical appearance and serene bearing, the aspiration toward a plastic quality of dynamic stroke pulsated consistently.

Furthermore, among the works of the <Third Period> are some residential buildings, including his own house, and church restorations. In the residential works, the plastic quality and decoration characteristic of the <Second Period> diminishes, and a simple overall form and sober expression of details predominates (Fig. 33). As a cause of this change, the influence of Noucentisme cannot be denied, in addition to the economic situation of the era; however, in the church restoration works, Jujol continued to commit to his own strokes the conception of a plastic quality overflowing with dynamism, connecting back with the <Second Period> (Fig. 34). For this reason, the author considers that the change in residential works mentioned above does not represent an essential change in Jujol's style.

Fig. 33) One of the Dwellings in Sant Joan Despí (Jujol's Own House, Floor Plan and Elevation, 1932) Fig. 34) Project for the Parish Church of San José y Santa Mónica (1940)

2.3.6 Drawings from Daily Life

Throughout his entire life, Jujol continued to draw ceaselessly in his daily life, not only within the framework of his architectural activity. Although without precise dates, numerous drawings of his fiancée before marriage (Fig. 35) and of his children after (Fig. 36), among others 47), are preserved. Jujol continued his design activity in the studio of his own home throughout his life, never having an external office. This too allows one to infer that for Jujol, drawing played a fundamental role in linking daily life with design activity, and it is understood that the drawings hold significant importance for clarifying the totality of his person and work. That is to say, for Jujol, drawing was daily practice in itself. As a notable fact in this regard, in the case of Jujol the distinction between drawings unrelated to architecture — such as those in Fig. 35 and Fig. 36 — and plans and drawings related to architecture is blurred. The sketches presented in Fig. 37-1) through Fig. 37-4) are related to the architectural work <Casa Bofarull>, and in them respectively are drawn the distant view of the building, the figure of an angel on the tower, the detail of the balcony columns on the second floor, and the overall view of the tower, while images continuous with the drawings from daily life appear alongside them. These images were not drawn on the same sheet without relation to architectural expression: it is believed that the female figure represents the owner of <Casa Bofarull>, and that the figure of the angel was drawn to study what should be placed on top of the tower. This blurring of the distinction between Jujol's drawings from daily life and his plans and drawings related to architectural expression is considered profoundly connected to the role that drawing occupies in his architectural activity. The continuity between daily-life drawings and architectural plans is something widely recognised in other architects as well, but Jujol's particularity lies in the fact that many of his architectural plans are highly fragmentary and contain numerous apparently disconnected images in the margins. (See the Appendix at the end of the work: List of Jujol's Autograph Plans for <Casa Bofarull>). This is not something widely recognised in other architects, and it is clear that Jujol maintained at least a certain singularity in this attitude; this point should be kept in mind as the analysis advances in subsequent chapters.

Fig. 35) Fiancée Fig. 36) Son/Daughter Fig. 37) Sketches Included in the Plans and Drawings of <Casa Bofarull>

2.3.7 The Significance of Improvisation in Jujol's Creative Attitude

When reflecting on the creative process of Jujol's work — the plans and drawings, the sketches and croquis, and the unceasing line of drafts superimposed upon them — it appears that the everyday sketches and paintings representing figures and the immediate surroundings were also something unitary with the plans and drawings of the architectural design process. That is to say, it can be perceived that both what is related to design and what is related to daily life were integrated in the act of drawing, sketching, and superimposing drafts. At the same time, the apparently improvised creative attitude in the actual workplace 48) must be considered in light of the fact that the act of drawing by the most varied methods, continued throughout his entire life, formed the dense background of his creative attitude.

The architect Jujol may be understood as an architect who, by drawing and sketching without distinction in both design and everyday events, succeeded in integrating everything into architectural creation.

2.4 Summary

In Jujol's writings analysed in Chapter 2 of the Central Part, almost no direct references to his architectural thought were found. From this it may be deduced that he placed greater importance on creative practice than on theoretical elaboration; at the same time, it is considered that the background of this attitude lies in the fact that the central element of his architectural expression consisted in direct execution by himself, which required no explanation to others. That is, the fact that Jujol was profoundly engaged with non-linguistic methods that cannot be logically systematised must be considered as a contributing factor. In the author's view, this is profoundly related to what Van Eyck pointed out in the present work regarding the ambiguity of Jujol's works.

Nevertheless, although not in a direct manner, from his writings one may infer a nostalgia for medievalism and the rural community, and it is considered evident that he was an architect who remained within the ideological framework of Catalan Modernisme, which emerged from medievalism and was preceded by the Renaixença that sought its recovery. At the same time, it was demonstrated, from his own discourse, that he valued vernacular expression, with its narrative character and rootedness in the rural community, above the refined expression of specialist builders; and it was made manifest that the formal expression in <Casa Bofarull> and the <Iglesia de Vistabella>, born of the tradition of the rural stone farmhouse, was executed deliberately and with conviction, grounded in Jujol's own thought.

With regard to the plans and drawings that Jujol left, in the first place, by organising them by period, materials illustrating the characteristics of each phase were extracted and said characteristics were clarified. It was demonstrated that Jujol maintained a consistent quality in his plans and drawings from his student days; that with respect to his relationship with Gaudí, while he received Gaudí's influence, Gaudí largely permitted the parts entrusted to Jujol in his own works to exhibit their singularity, and that Jujol's fundamental personal style was consistent; and that amid the shift in the architectural current from Modernisme to Noucentisme, which advocated a return to classicism, Jujol maintained the achievement of a plastic quality linked to a dynamic stroke that may properly be termed Jujolist. In particular, the figures of animals and plants from his student years, the organic strokes visible in the margins of his plans, and the calligraphic forms are directly related to the sgraffito designs and wrought-iron railings of his own authorship.

In the second place, it was made manifest that Jujol's plans and drawings not only pertain to the practice of architectural design, but were also accumulated without distinction in daily life in the form of sketches and paintings, and that this constitutes a characteristic of his creative attitude throughout his entire life as a person and maker; the singularity of Jujol in relation to drawing was also highlighted.

In the third place, it was made manifest that the apparently improvised creative attitude observable in Jujol's works, linked to this working attitude, must be understood as an expression of the fact that the act of drawing by the most varied methods, continued throughout his entire life, formed the dense background of his creative attitude.

The clarification of these three points allows one to consider that certain aspects of the creative attitude of the architect Josep Maria Jujol have been revealed through his plans and drawings.