Don Quijote 1965

Esteban Frances made this design for a stage set with watercolor, and it’s like he's inviting us into a dream. The overall mauve-y purple feels both eerie and opulent, doesn’t it? The paint is thin, almost transparent, like a memory fading at the edges. Frances focuses on the vertical lines of the architecture, offset by the flickering candles. Notice how he repeats the archways, creating echoes within the space. This rhythm gives the image a sense of depth, but also of being slightly off-kilter. The candles feel so vulnerable against the scale of the arches. They give warmth to the piece, but it's a warmth that’s easily extinguished. It reminds me of Piranesi’s etchings, all these grand, theatrical spaces that hint at something epic, but ultimately suggest a kind of melancholic emptiness. It leaves you wondering what stories this stage could tell.