Entrée van de Patio de los Leones in het Alhambra in Granada 1880 - 1900

Curator: Let's turn our attention to this captivating photograph, "Entrée van de Patio de los Leones in het Alhambra in Granada," a gelatin silver print from between 1880 and 1900, by Señan y Gonzalez. Editor: It's so…layered. The intricate detail almost overwhelms you, and yet there’s a profound stillness. What was it like to stand there? It's like stepping into a dream woven in stone. Curator: Precisely. Look at how the light catches those meticulous carvings. Think about the labour involved in creating such patterns—endless repetition, painstaking work by unseen hands. What resources would have been needed to maintain it for centuries? Editor: That repetitive labour becomes a sort of meditation, doesn’t it? Almost an offering. The materials become infused with purpose and the makers kind of vanish in it all. There's definitely something both humbling and spiritual to me about that aspect. Curator: And the silver gelatin process itself. Developed relatively recently and here used to fix what has stood for centuries... Quite amazing if you stop and ponder that shift. The interplay between the old and new there fascinates me as much as the cultural importance of this space. Editor: It’s true. The black and white also contributes to this dreamlike quality, washing over all that ornamentation. Do you think it captures some ghost of the people who traversed these corridors, their ambitions, their everyday anxieties and longings? Curator: Without a doubt. There’s a timeless quality, and that's what elevates it beyond just being a snapshot of a famous place. Editor: Ultimately it all just reminds me, in a gentle way, of time, and of art making's resilience... both of which continue on. Curator: A wonderful point on which to leave our listeners.