Alhambra, Sublime creation.Drawings, paintings and readings

A drawing of the Alhambra across from the Life pavilion. When drawing this and wondering around this amazing site I was first struck by the beauty of the place in its simplicity and richness. Secondly by its history and third because of its artistic merit that has been well documented and embellished over the centuries. Working here quickly at the start of a hot morning in July I was in awe and am still wondering whether my simple doodles and shards of colour can do it justice.

I attach a lenghy passage that I have taken from an essay by Shannon Melchior of Lynchburg College in the USA. that I came across in Google scholar. "Irving and Delacroix: The Use of Beauty to Transcend Time, Culture, and Reality". Americans make a great deal of fuss over the Alhambra, (because of Irvings writings it forms part of their own historical construct.)

I think that this passage is of interest to Europeans in terms of two literary forms being compared in a historical context. Shannon completes his essay by referring to the notion of sublime and how artists cover up the cruelty of reality by the use of the sublime through beauty, colour and form. I think however that he misrepresents the European notion of the sublime which to Shannon is used to hide fate. You only have to read Wordsworths account of climbing Snowden or see the paintings of William Turner to check this out.

The sublime for me denotes the cruel beauty of nature which always in the end dwarfs the small achievements of man. This brings me to my point, its the mix of planting, the simple beauty of life in the form of a rose, or tree set against ancient poetry carved and painted on stone in what was a fortress a machine of medieval war and sacrifice that for me is the essence of the Alhambra. It is the Alhambra itself which is sublime. If you have never been here... do make the trip.

Irving and Delacroix: The Use of Beauty to Transcend Time, Culture, and Reality
Shannon Melchior, Lynchburg College

Throughout history, the themes of art work and literature have closely reflected one another. Though pieces of artwork and literature created about one topic may be created in different eras and in different places, they are uniform in their creative expression of the subject at hand. The excerpt "The Court of Lions" from Tales of the Alhambra by Washington Irving is an 1832 short story of the history and legends of the Moors in Spain. Irving uses narration to paint a vivid description of the magical palace and past events that occurred within its walls. In 1828, artist Eugéne Delacroix used oil on canvas to depict his own cultural story of power, emotion, and chaos in the painting The Death of Sardanapalus. Though these two works depict different cultural events, they are connected in their emphasis on beauty and aesthetics, portrayal of events not personally witnessed by the artist, and imaginative distortion of reality.

In "The Court of Lions," Irving describes the Alhambra, a mystical symbol of the occupation of Spain by the Moors. The nineteenth century American author Washington Irving lived in the palace for several months and imagined his own version of events that happened in the fortress centuries before his time. The Alhambra was built by the Moors of Spain in the thirteenth century. In the years before 1492 when the Christian re-conquest of Spain was completed, the Alhambra was the Moors’ last foothold. The Court described in Irving’s excerpt had been the site of harems and murder, which became the subject of his speculation and imagination. Irving begins by explaining how the magical court of the palace helps him conjure up memories of events he never witnessed. He feels as though the Moorish influence still exists as vibrantly as it did in the past. Irving describes a "blood-stained fountain" at the center of the court and how it tells of violence and death (497). Amidst his description of the blood and pain, Melchior 2
he mentions a "lively swallow," buzzing bees, and butterflies flying around the court (Irving 497). It becomes obvious that Irving is cynical of the Christian monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella, who recaptured Spain from the Moors. Irving continues to create fictional images of the Alhambra when he meets a Moor near the fountain. The man explains to him that the Moors placed great emphasis on the creative arts. The Moor comforts himself with the notion that his people will one day rule Spain again. Irving explains that many contemporary Moors of the Barbary Coast believe that they will once again rule Spain (500). The excerpt ends with a supernatural tale of a group of four wealthy Moors appearing in the Court of Lions. The Moors eventually tell a man where they have buried their treasure, and he becomes one of the richest men in the region (Irving 502). Throughout the excerpt, Irving weaves the tales he has heard with historical facts and his creative imagination.

The Death of Sardanapalus
Eugéne Delacroix, 1828

http://images.encarta.msn.com/xrefmedia/sharemed/targets/images/pho/t267/T267382A.jpg

When Irving’s writing is compared to Delacroix’s painting, it becomes clear that the literature and the art of this period share similar characteristics. Eugéne Delacroix’s 1828 painting, The Death of Sardanapalus, depicts the death of an Assyrian king. Delacroix was a Romantic painter, who emphasized the dramatic and theatrical. In the painting, the artist depicts Sardanapalus, the last king of the second Assyrian dynasty, around the ninth century B.C. Rather than be conquered by an enemy army, Sardanapalus chose to kill himself and all of his servants, horses, and wives, along with his other belongings (Sayre 84). The use of line in the painting is not controlled but is fluid and emotional. In Delacroix’s preliminary drawing for the painting, it is evident that he used a flurry of intertwined, swirling lines to create the composition. The lack of control of line contributes to the work’s drama. The light in the painting also makes it more emotional and theatrical. The artist uses tenebrism, making the background very dark and using light to draw attention to the individuals in the foreground. The painting is oil on canvas, which allows the artist to create fine detail, such as the embellishments on the horses head and reins. Another benefit to the artist’s use of oil is that he could correct any mistakes and continue to rework the painting. The painting is relatively small, only 12 feet 1.5 inches by 16 feet 2 7/8 inches (Sayre 84). There is a lot happening on a small piece of canvas, making it more appealing to the eyes and imaginations of the viewers. The color is dark and rich, with saturated hues. The movements of the female forms are very fluid and dramatic. Their bodies are softly curved and strewn about the picture plane. Delacroix uses the primary color red to symbolize wealth and to make the king’s position stand out to the audience. It is not certain where the light source is coming from, but it is shining on the king’s legs at the bottom of the bed, where his wives surround him. The use of light and color make the piece a swirl of emotion and passion, which make it even more appealing to the audience. Melchior 4

Both Irving and Delacroix creatively embellish the tales they are depicting. Their focus is on beauty, passion, and the sublime. In "The Court of Lions," Irving goes beyond nature and explains that the palace is able to clothe "naked realities with the illusions of the memory and imagination" (497). At the opening of the excerpt, Irving is already creating a vivid image of the mysterious, beautiful palace. He also describes how everything in the fortress seems as though it is designed to "inspire kind and happy feelings" (497). Despite the violence that occurred at the Alhambra, Irving describes it as a beautiful, lighthearted place. He romanticizes it when he creates his own fictional accounts of what occurred in the palace. Even when he discusses blood and battle, he always goes back to the beauty and serenity of the location. This emphasis on beauty is characteristic of American Romantic authors, as well as artists. In The Death of Sardanapalus, Delacroix also focuses on drama, passion, and beauty. In the foreground, a woman is on her knees being killed; however, she does not appear to be screaming or even in pain. Her back is gracefully arched; she is a beautiful woman. Another woman, lying across the bed at the king’s feet, appears to be devoting herself willingly and elegantly to death at the king’s side. The scene is not bloody and does not even appear to be the site of much violence. The emphasis is not on violence or the accurate depiction of the event but on creating an aesthetically pleasing, beautiful work. Both the author and the artist use Romantic principles in their depictions of historical events.