In 1887, the zorns were finally able to visit spain and the mediterranean together. The journey went via algiers, where they arrived at the turn of january-february. On march 27 they took a boat from oran to tangier and gibraltar from where they continued to cádiz. From cádiz, the journey continued via seville towards granada, where they arrived on 27 april 1887. Granada and the alhambra were given destinations for the foreign artists who made it all the way to andalusia. Zorn, who had never before reached as far as granada, entered the popular inn with emma. The first motif from the alhambra is a sunny interior from the palace which, through its emphasis on the moorish architecture, connects to several of the watercolors from algiers earlier in the year. Johan cederlund writes in his book zorn in spain, 2009: "it is not a question of romanticizing orientalism. Instead, it is the light and the resolution of colors that interest zorn. He acts as a 'plein-air' painter and lets forms and contours flow together. [. . ] zorn's interior from the alhambra, however, became only a parenthesis in his production. Zorn was not born to paint architecture; his focus was on women and landscapes". Emma describes in the letters home how he worked: "if he just wants to have some peace in his soul. But that's impossible. All day he thinks [that] he has to paint and in the evenings he thinks there should be something somewhere that he should see". Zorn himself summarizes it all in his autobiographical notes: "i painted several things there, mostly girls in white clothes, park interiors, gypsy shoes, etc. Lovely time". In may, the zorns left granada and began the journey home. The watercolor in question was given as a wedding present to ellen and otto rooth, who were married in may of the same year. Emma lamm and otto rooth were childhood friends ever since the 1860s, when both families had their summer fun on lidingö. The captivating portrait of the young spaniard with the intense gaze testifies to zorn's outstanding watercolor technique. Object Type: painting. Date: 1887. Place of creation: Granada, Spain. Dimensions: height: 19 cm (7.4 in); width: 13.5 cm (5.3 in). Medium: watercolor on paper. Collection: Private collection. Anders Zorn - The Spanish Lady 1887
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