"we´ve given the degree to a madman or a genius, only time will tell", commented Elíes Rogent, distinguished historicist architect and Director of the School of Architecture of Barcelona, after Antoni Gaudí´s graduation in 1878. With Casa Vicens, his first important work, constructive simplicity contrasts with decorative exhuberance. The taste for colorful tilework and geometry reminds of Moorish architecture. Moreover the abundance of naturalist motifs have their roots in oriental art.