Córdoba: The city which inspired the painting

by delacybrown on February 13, 2012

It’s my last dip into the Iberian peninsular before I go all Valentines on you… Following yesterday’s Sunday Supplement in which I introduced my painting, Córdoba, here are my photos of the city which inspired the work.

Córdoba is a unique little place. It doesn’t share the same thriving spirit as Seville or Granada for example, at least not in the very self-contained old town which looks and feels very much like a living museum given over to the tourists. Asides from La Mezquita at its centre, there are a few quaint art museums and an excellent archeological museum, but otherwise there is not a huge amount to see. Surprisingly, it did make the short list for Spain’s European Capital of Culture in 2016 which scandalously Malaga, home of the great Picasso Museum, a flashy new airport, a thriving city and a contemporary art museum, did not. Having said this, Córdoba is a crucial visit for those with an interest in Spain’s rich cultural heritage, and in particular its Moorish past. Should you go, be sure to sample Berejenas Fritas – deep fried aubergine served with a syrupy sauce – divine.

Below are a selection of the photos I took when in Córdoba. If you saw my post yesterday, you’ll recognise the crumbling facades, elegant wrought-iron lamps, the quenching relief of a hotel swimming pool, and that shameful architectural vandalism which took place in the great mosque after the Christian reconquista. This is a city where history is not only preserved, but the wounds of the past are still uncomfortably evident.

: Crumbling walls of the Jewish quarter

: Moorish walls of the Great Mosque “La Mezquita”

: I can’t help but notice the unwelcome intrusion of the long-life lightbulb in this otherwise decadent scene

: The stunning exterior of La Mezquita

: Looking into one of Cordoba’s famous patio gardens

: The back of the Mosque

: The heavily baroque intervention of the Catholic architects jar with the Islamic mosque beyond

: Golden gateway to La Mezquita

: Idyllic Andalucia: horse and cart (for tourists) trotting along the old narrow streets

: An industrious way of keeping the streets cool

: La Mezquita’s Baroque bell tower

: The golden gates of La Mezquita glow at night as they reflect nearby street lamps

: Our first view of the famous red and white arches was through a tiny crack in a door to the Mosque

: The naturally cold fountains of La Mezquita – thanks to Moorish irrigation innovations

: The bell tower of La Mezquita seen from El Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos

: Water ripples in El Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos

: Ferdinand and Isobella – the conquering Catholic kings – in the gardens of El Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos

: The jarring enforced synthesis of Islam and Christianity

: The famous arches of La Mezquita

: It’s hard to show with a camera just how vast this forest of arches is

: Islamic decoration inside the Mosque

: Stunning Islamic dome in a side chapel of La Mezquita

: Christian vandalism – attempts to Christianise the Islamic arches in La Mezquita with frescoes

: The vast, towering interjection of the Catholic cathedral in the middle of the Mosque

: The Christian cathedral sitting upon and growing out of the original Islamic arches

: The uncomfortable mixture of Christian baroque and Moorish architecture

: The hotel pool – saviour in the heat and inspiration for the bottom of my painting

: I was fascinated by the effect of light and reflection in the pool water

© Nicholas de Lacy-Brown and The Daily Norm, 2005-2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of the material, whether written work or artwork, included within The Daily Norm without express and written permission from The Daily Norm’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Nicholas de Lacy-Brown and The Daily Norm with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.