From my room in Madrid - Santa Teresa Street 1924

Editor: Here we have Carlos Quizpez Asín’s 1924 oil painting, "From my room in Madrid - Santa Teresa Street.” It’s a lovely cityscape, but something about it feels…claustrophobic, despite being an outdoor scene. What's your initial reaction to this piece? Curator: Oh, claustrophobia is a fantastic word for it! It’s as if the city is pressing in. For me, there’s this incredible tension between the realism – that meticulous rendering of the architecture – and the painting's emotional mood, almost dreamlike and subdued. Like looking at the world through a filter of memory, perhaps? Editor: That makes sense. The greyish palette is definitely doing a lot of work in that respect! Did Quizpez Asín paint primarily cityscapes? Curator: From what I know of his career, the focus on this sort of urban landscape does seems to reflect an interest in architecture in urban space, viewed almost like portraits. These buildings aren’t just buildings; they’re like silent witnesses, observing the lives unfolding around them. Do you see the rhythm the windows create? Editor: Yes, it almost looks like a musical staff with notes – or rather, a poem, each window a verse, full of untold stories from behind them! But why focus on just this street? Curator: Perhaps it was his view, literally his perspective. This location offers a glimpse into his daily world, transformed through paint. I love how he pulls the exterior inside; the interior looking outwards. It blurs those boundaries, doesn't it? It reminds me that our perceptions always frame our reality. What do you think you’ll take away from this experience? Editor: That it's about perception as much as presentation! And also to not take cityscapes at face value!