The show Trencadís: de la natura a la llum, promoted by the Spanish Skating Federation and premiered on January 3 in Reus, has raised questions about various episodes in the life of Antoni Gaudí. The most controversial segment is a video generated by Artificial Intelligence where the architect speaks Spanish (Castilian).
To analyze this and other issues, the Diari Catalunya consulted reference biographers and researchers such as Josep Maria Tarragona, Concepció Peig, and journalist Francesc Xavier Fortuny. All three agree that Gaudí's use of Spanish in Catalonia is historically inconsistent with his firm linguistic commitment.
Tarragona, the architect's biographer, recalls that Gaudí's commitment to the Catalan language was so strong that he was arrested by the police on September 11, 1924, during the Primo de Rivera dictatorship, for refusing to switch languages while attempting to attend mass at the Sants Just i Pastor church in Barcelona.
“"When he tried to enter, there was police at the door. He responded in Catalan to the police, who spoke to him in Spanish. They took him to the dungeon."
Documents confirm that Gaudí spoke Catalan even when addressing high state officials, such as King Alfonso XIII, as he believed they should use that language in Catalonia. However, the popularizer Francesc Xavier Fortuny, while considering the use of Spanish in the production a mistake, believes the controversy has been exaggerated.
“"everything has been blown out of proportion because a show can be done in whatever language one wishes."
