The ambitious creative dream of Joan Anton Desvalls i d’Ardena (1740-1820) managed to come true, despite its disproportionate physical extent. The labyrinth of Horta remained almost hidden due to a distance that still today stands as an obstacle, albeit a minor one. Only a privileged few could have access to this wonder while it was kept private.
It was in 1968 that it was successfully negotiated to become municipal property. Despite this, a distance remains, not physical, but cultural. This formidable neoclassical garden, although it appears comprehensible, hides a deep and rich message. The unwary visitor will be satisfied when he discovers sculptures, the maze game, buildings and others; maybe it will be enough with this level of aesthetic understanding, albeit superficial, that will tickle his senses.
The broad message will remain, however, hidden. A dense and deep content unfolds through allegories and symbols that enrich it.
An essential book has just been published to delve into another labyrinth, the intellectual one, which reveals an infinite number of keys: El , by Manuel Cuevas (SD·Edicions).
Surprises spill over the pages when he unravels with meridian clarity the lavish complex of cryptic messages. I have to say that until now I only knew the short text by Professor Federico Revilla: La clave amatoria en el Laberinto de Barcelona (University of Valladolid).
In short, the overwhelming information displayed throughout the work by the author will allow the visitor the opportunity to enter the intense exchange of content and experience the pleasure of a world overflowing with mythology, eroticism and culture.
But there is more, as of course the necessary biography of the cultivated, sensitive and creative Marquis de Llupià. It adds extensive professional and human information about the hitherto unknown Domenico A. Bagutti, an architect who contributed his professionalism and extensive knowledge. And even a brush on other famous dream gardens: Boboli, Bomarzo and Villa.
Spectacular is the photographic beauty displayed by Maria Casas: it takes us into a landscape so suggestive and attractive, especially when it offers exciting details.
