Fuente de las Conchas in Madrid
Quarter sheet painting at Fuente de las Conchas
Another landscape I preselected to see and experience during my trip to Madrid this June was the Campo del Moro, a park from the base of the Royal Palace to the west. I imagined how the alleys were walked by the Spanish Royalty many times in the past, and the delicate care that space received in its maintenance as an oasis of natural beauty, a refuge in a densely built urban area.
I saw beauty at that site when I glanced at the interesting symmetry produced by the optical illusion of the volume of the Fountain balancing that of the Royal Palace. I remembered the old stories from antiquity about fountains representing springs or sources of life, which hold true in this scene, where flora grows all around.
The Fountain of the Shells was commissioned in 1765 by King Charles III of Spain’s rebellious brother, Luis Antonio, to his architect Ventura Rodríguez and executed by the famous sculptor Manuel Francisco Álvarez de la Peña.
The Fountain represents the Divine source of life, whereas the central statue conveys the royal power of the Spanish Crown, the absolute colonial power, still at the time of its design. The central statue has three sections. At the base, turtles represent the slow, heavy, and chaotic forces of the raw earth and untamed primordial nature. The second section features half-human, half-fish tritons, heralds of Poseidon (the sea god). By blowing into their conch shells, they quiet the roaring waves and command the elements to obey. At the very peak, the overflowing basket of fruit represents abundance, prosperity, and fertility. It symbolizes that when the rulers (the Crown) bring order to chaos, the kingdom flourishes. Hence, the placement of the Fountain in sight of the Royal Palace and the effect of this view are intended for the public walking through the park.
It was quite hot in Madrid at midday when I took the shot above. Yet, I found a quiet location under a big tree providing plenty of shade. I pulled out my sketchbook and gave it a first try in pencil, then a small colour study on an Arches Watercolor Pad (5.83 in x 8.27 in) using a selection of pigment by Daniel Smith just to capture the sense painting plein-air.
I completed the painting today. See it at Fuente de las Conchas.
You can watch my video notes about the composition and the painting process below.