Modern Style tour

Art Nouveau was a school of artistic renovation which emerged and developed in the field of architecture between the last decade of the 19th century and the first two decades of the 20th century. It was a cultural movement born out of a particular enthusiasm for aesthetics, in line with the bourgeois theory of “art for art´s sake” and including art in all realms social life. It appeared as a rebellion against progressive industrialisation and took the form of a counterpoint to the coarseness and dehumanisation which was to be the result of industrial mass and assembly line production. Art Nouveau has all the hallmarks of a movement: it is romantic, individual and anti-historical, and covers aesthetic, artistic and literary fields.

Art Nouveau extended throughout Europe adopting national forms and peculiarities: Art Nouveau in France and Belgium, Modern Style in England, Liberty or Floreale in Italy, Jugendstil in Germany and Sezession in Austria.

Art Nouveau´s influence spread not only through architecture, sculpture and painting, but also to applied and decorative arts. Its main characteristic was its approach to nature, both animals and plants, as nature became a permanent source of inspiration.

Another main feature of Art Nouveau was the adoption of medieval style working methods and artisanal processes. This would lead to an important collaboration of artists and artisans with architects in art nouveau architecture.

Rodolfo Ucha Piñeiro was Ferrol´s leading exponent of Art Nouveau. He is considered one of the most important Galician architects of the 20th century. He was born in Vigo in 1882 and moved to Ferrol when he was still a child. He studied at the School of Architecture in Madrid, graduating in 1906.

This expert designer carried out most of his work in Ferrol as city architect (1909 – 1936), and is particularly known for his Art Nouveau and Eclectic works. He worked as an architect until his death at the age of 92 in Ferrol in 1981.

To help you discover this architecture, which transformed the appearance of Ferrol, and appreciate its different stylistic features, we propose a tour of some of these magnificent buildings.