Courtyard of the Alberca

Both life in the Alhambra and Generalife and its landscape have been the subject of artistic creations since their construction. This is demonstrated by the countless literary, musical, sculptural and pictorial compositions of all times. If we focus on the latter, it is considered that it was the decade of the 70s of the 19th century, when orientalism was fashionable in European capitalist bourgeois society, they found a source of inspiration for their creations in the last Muslim kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula. .
Rusiñol was fascinated by the light, water and architecture developed by the Nasrids in the Alhambra and the Generalife. His oil on canvas El Patio de la Alberca shows a recreation of the Patio de los Arrayanes of the Comares palace in which the painter recreates a sunny day, with lots of light. The image should reflect tranquility, so avoid capturing the large defensive tower of Comares. The painter is only interested in the courtyard, with its light and water, so the interior of the Throne Room is simplified. He decorates the space with plants that reflect those existing at that time, as demonstrated by Jean Laurent's photograph taken in 1871. He looks at the water, at the large mirror that reflects the architecture on the north side of the patio . The water takes on the color of the patio, its container, when the sunset begins.
The color of the water is kaleidoscopic as different vertical walls and plant elements are reflected in it. For this reason, and never better said, the color of the water is Alhambra.