View of the Escorial c. 1905

Editor: Here we have Ignacio Zuloaga's "View of the Escorial," currently residing at the Tate. The scene has a somewhat somber feel with those dark skies. What do you see in this work? Curator: The Escorial, a monastery and palace, looms large in Spanish cultural memory. Zuloaga, I think, captures its weight and historical significance, almost like a visual echo of Spanish power and religious intensity. Do you sense that same resonance? Editor: I do, now that you mention it. The Escorial feels less like a building and more like a monument to a specific moment in time. Curator: Precisely. Symbols of empire frozen in paint, evoking perhaps a sense of nostalgia or even melancholy for a bygone era. The dark sky intensifies that feeling. Editor: It’s amazing how much history can be embedded in a landscape painting.