to reflect and complement the "sandstone and cement" colors of the building's tiles and exterior. One of the last furniture pieces that Gaudí designed before devoting the remainder of his life to the design and construction of Sagrada Família, the bench for the unfinished Colònia Güell, demonstrated that he was still unafraid to add new elements to his design to adapt to the space, in this case the crypt in the church. Needing to add "solidity and stability" that wood alone could not provide, Gaudí used iron elements to support the structure of the bench. Art Nouveau Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art". A reaction to academic art of the 19th century, it was inspired by natural forms and structures, not only in flowers and plants but also in curved lines. Architects tried to harmonize with the natural environment. It is also considered a philosophy of design of furniture, which was designed according to the whole building and made part of ordinary life. In Spain, the style was based mainly in Barcelona and was an essential element of the Catalan Modernisme, often understood as an equivalent to a number of fin-de-siècle art movements, such as Art Nouveau, Jugendstil, Secessionism, and Liberty style. Architect Antoni Gaudí, whose decorative architectural style is so personal that he is sometimes considered as practising an artistic style different from Art Nouveau, nonetheless uses Art Nouveau's floral and organic forms. His designs from about 1903, the Casa Batlló (1904–1906) and Casa Milà (1906–1908), are most closely related to the stylistic elements of Art Nouveau. However, famous structures such as the Sagrada Familia characteristically contrast the modernising Art Nouveau tendencies with revivalist Neo-Gothic. Further examples of Gaudi's work References Further reading Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Modern Art, Kobe; The Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura; The Museum of Fine Arts, Gifu (1987) Homage to Catalonia, Barcelona Art City, The Committee of Exhibition. External links Confidant on MNAC website Google Art Project Feature of Confidant MNAC YouTube presentation of Confidant 1906 in art Antoni Gaudí furniture Collections of the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya Chairs 1910s in Spain Modernisme Art Nouveau works 1900s in Spain Individual pieces of furniture