Academic year 1872-1873: Anton try the admission

The academic year 1872-1873, Anton accompanied again his brother to Barcelona. They moved to the street Montjuïc de Sant Pere, n.º 16, 4, address of their single maternal aunt Úrsula Cornet. Anton started very brave, disposed to try the admission at the School of Architecture, which started the former course. He registered himself again in "French", pending of the High School; and in "Rational mechanics", pending of the Faculty of Sciences. He prepared himself for both examinations of Architecture admission: "Dibujo hasta copiar a la aguada detalles de edificios de todos géneros” and “Dibujo de figura”. And he registered himself also in some subjects of the course preparatory and of first: “Copia de yeso”, “Dibujo de copia de edificios o sus partes principales”, “Mecánica aplicada, resistencia de materiales, exposición y aplicación de las fórmulas de la estabilidad de las construcciones y estudio de los motores más usados. Aprovechamiento de agua y desarrollo de proyectos y conducción”, “Estereotomía de la piedra, la madera y el hierro y aplicaciones de la geometría descriptiva y gnomónica” and “Topografía teórica y práctica"; acting as surety again his brother Francesc. He had with the patronage of Joan Tarrats and with the loans that the father could obtain until Francesc finished Medicine. And for sustaining he looked for work as a draftsman. They went -him or his father- to the acquaintances of Riudoms and of Reus that, installed in Barcelona, they could provide him. Thus, Anton started to work as draftsman for Josep Fontserè i Mestre (1829-1897), who had won in 1872 the competition to design the Park in the terrain resulting from the demolition of the Ciutadella. It had been born in 1829 in Barcelona, city where his father, Josep Fontserè and Domènech (natural of Riudoms) was municipal architect. The first project in which Gaudí collaborated it was that of the market of the Born, which had started to be to draw in 1872. In those moments, the family finances lived a difficult hole. The loan of the sister-in-law had finished and on 27 February of 1873 Francesc Gaudí father asked a credit of 1.125 pesetas with interests to a usurer of Riudoms, Maria Rebascall. Him and his mother, "la Calderera", that had the usufruct, mortgaged the Mas de la Calderera and an estate of Montserrada. In the following month, March of 1873, Francesc son obtained the graduation in Medicine. Of little afterwards, of the 3 May of 1873, we conserve a drawing of a declining inclined clock, an exercise of gnomic of Anton for the subject "Stereotomy", which Antoni Rovira i Rabassa imparted. In the examinations of June of 1873, he suspended (or it did not present) one another time the "French" and the "Rational mechanics". And at School of Architecture, on the 11th June of 1873 the board formed by Elies Rogent, Joan Torras and Josep Artigas suspended him "Drawing to water"; and he suspended or he did not present himself to the other subjects: "Linear drawing", "Copy of plaster", "Drawing of copy of buildings", "Applied mechanics", "Stereotomy" and "Topography". It is probable that in the summer of 1873, Gaudí did a journey to France. It was the first journey that he was alone, sorted out from the parents, and the itinerary was had been punctiliously prepared by the father for visiting cathedrals. From each one of them he wrote the parents his impressions. Passing this route near the city from the girl that he was fallen with in love platonically, Anton Gaudí diverted on his account some hours to know the city, but did not manage to see the youngster, then newlywed.

Josep Maria Tarragona, April 8, 2007
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