Castle in Spain (Chateau en Espagne) 

Alphonse Legros made this print, "Castle in Spain," with etching. It depicts a landscape with a vague, shadowy castle. The title is a proverb, referring to something imaginary or unattainable. Legros was French, but like many artists, he spent a lot of time in England. Etching was undergoing a revival, and a new market for prints opened in England. The Etching Revival was partly a reaction against industrialization, but also an attempt to create a truly national art and escape the dominance of institutions such as the Royal Academy. Looking at this image, it seems Legros is commenting on the fleeting nature of aspirations. The almost invisible castle could symbolize the futility of ambition, and how social change is always underway. Art historians use archival material such as letters, exhibition reviews, and sales records to reconstruct the complex social and institutional forces that shaped such an artwork.