Courtyard in Toledo 1881

Editor: So, here we have Albert Edelfelt's "Courtyard in Toledo," painted in 1881. It's an oil painting, rendered in that lovely, textural impasto that I'm a sucker for. The light! It just drapes across the courtyard, pooling in those corners... but there's something melancholic about it, almost like a stage set waiting for the actors to arrive. What secrets do you think this sun-drenched courtyard holds, professor? Curator: Oh, I love that— a stage set! Absolutely. To me, it's almost a study in stillness. Edelfelt, who was Finnish, painted this while traveling in Spain. Consider that juxtaposition. It wasn't just a scene, it was *his* scene, viewed through a Northerner's eye. That explains why there's less a sense of dramatic flourish, less shadow-play typical of say, a Sorolla. Notice that almost muted palette of creams and grays. Editor: Exactly. So it’s less about the architecture, and more about... the experience of being *in* the architecture? Curator: Precisely! It invites you into this private, quiet moment. Do you see that solitary vase, sitting in the sun? Editor: Vaguely ominous, but in a chic way, perhaps? Curator: Exactly! Now what is ominous without potential, if not just expectation, I wonder? Perhaps he thought that Toledo made an old soul contemplative and made it to find solace? Perhaps... Anyway, he painted it “en plein air,” right on the spot, which is amazing when you consider the time. And those brushstrokes! Loose, free, capturing the very essence of light and place. Editor: Seeing it that way definitely opens it up. That vase becomes the main character and I see those pillars holding space. Curator: Yes! And that, for me, is the magic of Edelfelt: his ability to make you feel the air, taste the sun, hear the silence. What do you think you’ll take away from this after our little stroll? Editor: I'm rethinking melancholy. Maybe it is contemplative rather than sad. And I’ll think about Finnish painters soaking up Spanish sunlight a bit more often, that's for sure.