Darío de Regoyos is regarded as one of the most influential Spanish artists of the late nineteenth century. Denied due recognition until after his death, he played a key role in the renewal of the arts in Spain. His connection with European avant-garde circles, particularly Camille Pissarro (1830-1903), was instrumental in introducing a new approach to landscape and an innovative language indebted to Impressionism.
This work, painted between October 1910 and the spring of 1911, during the artist’s fourth and final stay in Granada, exhibits the fine balance between city and nature characteristic of Regoyos’ mature style. The different tonal gradations of the Sierra Nevada backdrop produce a vibrant play of light. The study of light was a constant in Regoyos, one of the first Spanish artists truly interested in plein air painting.
The built area in the foreground is singularised through constructive brushwork executed in complementary tones, with a highly innovative geometric result. Regoyos pays special attention to the demolished buildings that illustrate the city's changing face, a concern rare among the artists of his generation.
The work's high viewpoint, suggesting it was painted from a window, introduces the presence of the onlooker, while a lack of framing gives the impression of a snapshot, two profoundly modern visual resources.