A View of the Alhambra

A striking painting of a sweeping panoramic rooftop view of the Alhambra. One gets the artist’s view of standing on the roof and taking in the scenery, the rolling hills with trees on top, the changing Andalusian landscape, the red tinged Alhambra buildings in the distance, particularly the Church of Santa Maria de la Alhambra, the Palace of Charles V, the fortress walls, and the Sierra Nevada. Tall cacti peek from behind the roof, representing the local foliage and providing dimension to the painting. The artist’s care in depicting the natural world upholds the pre-Raphaelite teachings, where the natural beauty of nature is valued.

In the foreground, a lady in black rests on the brick roof reading a letter and holding a black foldable fan in her hand. Next to her rests a blue and white jug, possibly made of Talavera pottery, on one side and on the other side, an orange plant in a pot with an orange and little white orange-blossoms growing out of it. Her figure being in black takes the focus of the eye away from her and more towards the natural beauty of Granada.

John Mulcaster Carrick (1833 – 22 September 1896) was a British painter, etcher, and illustrator of the Pre-Raphaelite style, born in Carlisle. He travelled in France, Switzerland and Spain, and his work was exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1854 to 1871. Some of his work is now in the Government Art Collection and various museums. His father was the famous English miniature portrait painter Thomas Heathfield Carrick (4 July 1802 – 1874). 



Stock no.: A5376