Madrid, Fall 1990
Saturday, September 29
Emilio.
Emilio. Hello, Emilio
Come in, Emilio.
You wont?
THE SUN OF THE QUINCE
A film inspired...
by the paintings...
of Antonio López.
Sunday, September 30
Monday, October 1
Better move these bags.
If we don't finish soon, we'll lose shares
Either they bring sand or we'll be doing nothing
Let's go.
Good morning, ladies!
I buy junk, all kind of junk!
Anything you don't want, I'll buy!
Morning, Mari, how are you doing?
- Hi, how did you sleep? - The plastic sheets moved.
Emilio kept on barking.
And the dog over there barked back. Awful.
I'm off, I'm going to English class.
It's my first day.
If anyone calls, I'll be back at noon.
See you.
Hi. Are you emptying the upstairs part?
- Morning, Marco. - Morning, Mari.
- Is there much rubble left? - A little.
- Well, see you later. - See you.
"Your husbands gone...
...gone to the war in France."
"Your husbands gone, gone to the war in France."
"Holding a candle...
...looking for a foxy mulatto girl."
"The love bug...
...the love bug, the love bug."
"Don't let love bite you...
...nothing good comes out of it."
"Look at me and you'll see, I was bitten hard."
"The love bug...
...the love bug, I'll squash it dead."
"In the kings palace...
...there's a wooden horse...
...in the kings palace"
"There's a wooden horse, a small wooden horse."
"As grains of sand on the beach...
...that's my love for you...
...As grains of sand on the beach."
Get the mix ready
"With an armful...
...of roses and carnations...
...in a sevillian patio...
...how pretty you look and smell...
early in the morning."
"Many painters...
...came from Madrid...
Fernando, go check on the baby
...to paint the Virgin of Sorrow..."
"You ate a good lunch...
...toasted hard bread...
...water from the river."
Death's spark.
It's gone.
A little while ago, the sun came out over there.
But it went and hid behind those clouds.
It's not a good day, is it?
You can't imagine how pretty it was.
The golden fruits...
Really pretty!
Yes, I see
The season isn't going to help you much.
I'm going to try it anyway.
I think I have to paint the sun.
Even now it looks lovely. Just look.
Isn't the fruit lovely?
How long will it last?
That's the worst part, very little.
Maybe a couple of hours in the morning.
I mean, for the light I want.
Later, it's on the tower.
During that time, while its on the house...
...the upper part of the tree is enlightened.
It's pretty too. Lovely.
The tree is plunged in shadow...
...except for the golden upper part.
All the quinces...
That quince over there, all that area...
...it's lovely. It's very good too.
And then, the light comes from over there.
The tree is enlightened from behind.
But the morning light...
...has something special. The early sun...
the most golden of all.
The fruit is lovely with the sun.
I'll paint it with sun.
I've never done a fruit tree with the sun.
- How did it go today? - Fine.
Show me the hand.
It's much better, it feels better.
- The swelling's gone down. - I move it pretty well, see?
- What did de doctor say? - The doctor?
That it's much better, to keep exercising...
...you know, the usual.
- How many more visits? - A few.
Maybe I could go every other day.
For how long? One week, ten days?
A little more, I think. But it's better.
I think I'll go less often...
...I mean, I fell so much better now.
- Pretty, isn't it? - Lovely!
It is
He probably started it this morning.
How about those marks on the leaves?
Weird, isn't it?
Can't make anything out.
Tomorrow, we'll catch the subway.
It will be faster.
Yeah, faster than the bus.
Alright, say it in Spanish.
"Jesien"?
Fall.
Janusz, say it in Spanish.
"Zima"?
Summer.
Come on try it again.
Winner...
...something like that.
Winter.
Grzegorz, your turn.
How do you say "wiosna"?
- Spr... Spring. - Spring.
Spanish for Beginners.
Vienna, 1815.
Metternich is the all-powerful man...
...to whom good kaiser Franz has given...
How has he started the drawing this year?
Look, it's full of marks.
- Really full. - Poor thing.
See how pretty this is?
Alright, but you keep the jacket.
- How do I look? - Fine.
- Don't think about it. - The shoes are tight.
I'll exchange them and get bigger ones.
- If we could stretch them... - No, I'll get bigger ones.
Bigger ones? But they're pretty, right?
Like them ?
Come on, we're leaving. Take it off.
They're too small.
- I can tell they re small. - You can tell?
Sit down and take them off.
My glasses, I nearly sat on them.
Here, the shoes.
They re a little dirty, aren't they?
Better clean them.
We are off.
- You get back to work. - Alright then.
- See you. - Bye.
Spanish National Radio, the news.
The Soviet Union...
...and Israel have renewed diplomatic relations...
which had been broken 23 years ago...
...during the Six Day War according...
...to Edward Schevernatze and David Levy.
The Spanish President was pessimistic...
...about the events in the Gulf.
However, González feels no effort must be spared...
...to communicate with Irak.
Sadam Hussein in a speech...
...said he was open to dialogue.
He called however, for a holy war...
...against foreign troops stationed...
...in Saudi Arabia.
Tomorrow, October 2nd...
...the GDR will cease to exist as such.
The solem nities will take place in Berlin...
...the new capital of Germany.
33 people died in car accidents...
...over the week end.
16 were seriously injured.
Come on, Emilio.
Tuesday, October 2
Careful with the tree.
Just a little more, a little more.
That's right, very good.
Monday, October 8
Tuesday, October 9
Wednesday, October 10
- Mari? - Enrique, come in.
- Hi, Enrique. - Hello.
- You're hard at work. - It's a mess, isn't it?
Come in.
How are you?
- Fine, and you? - Pretty good.
Look at that! The staircase!
It's looking good.
- How was the trip? - As a matter of fact...
...I had a good time, I read.
It's the only time I can read.
When I'm painting, I'm so exhausted...
...I can't even read half a page.
At least, that way...
...I read a whole book.
- Where's Antonio? - In the garden.
He is waiting for you.
- I'll go to see him. - See you.
- Antonio. - How are you doing?
High noon, isn't it?
Did you buy paints?
I'll go this afternoon.
I need time to look around.
I want to see different colours...
...especially acrylics.
I feel like painting something with acrylics.
I don't know, I fell like trying on paper.
That's why I dropped by here first.
- Want to have a look? - Sure.
Yeah, you re still at that stage.
I just started it.
You can't imagine how much the light changes.
The sun starts over here.
It finishes over there.
I'm aiming to catch a little at midday...
When the sun lights the upper part.
Most of the tree is in the shadow.
- It is. - The light's here.
That's what I'm aiming for.
Put your feet here.
Against the nails.
Just the tip of your shoes.
Against the nails. Wow!
Now bend down to my sightline.
Tell me what you think.
Well, it's splendid.
- Do you like it? - The quinces are so full.
They're really beautiful, truly beautiful.
- Yeah, but at this time... - They're tempting.
- No, don't touch them. - I barely did.
- Yeah, but... - Ever so softly.
Of course, I could erase the marks.
The marks you drew.
What about the size?
- Fine. - Mari says...
...I needed a bigger canvas. What do you think?
It looks alright to me.
It could have been bigger...
Still, I think that those shapes over here...
...are fine for the fullness of the quinces.
Yesterday...
Wouldn't you lower the tree?
- You mean space? - And some's missing up here.
You can always add in the upper area.
- You want to lower it all? - Yeah.
I want to let down the whole thing, I mean...
...the fruits, the leaves.
Look, I've made some marks over here.
I want to lower the horizon down to here.
To lower it all...
...some 6 centimeters. Wouldn't it better?
Stand back a little.
It isn't the first time we've discussed it.
Yeah, but...
How much more down ?
More or less. Look here and over there.
I have to bend a little.
I don't know. You shouldn't loose too much floor either.
From here, how much? Five or six centimeres?
It should be enough.
If you don't want to add to the upper area.
No, I prefer to take it all down.
- Take it down. - Yeah, the shapes.
Yes, here.
Of course, composition-wise...
...seeing it that way, it's a bit short.
That's right. It doesn't breath enough.
Yeah, in the upper area.
Alright, lower it, but I can't help it...
...I feel it's cruel after all that work.
But nothing is lost. It remains underneath.
- The bed, isn't it? - It's underneath
The bed, as it is called in pictorical slang.
Alright, go ahead.
Will you help me to trace a horizontal line?
Let's see.
Let's see. Now this...
See it better now?
There.
- Take the ruler. - Alright.
- On that tiny line, right? - That's it.
Okay.
Bring it over there.
- To the black line. - Alright.
Go ahead.
- Done. - Make a mark on the edge.
What time is it?
Twenty to six.
My watch says twenty to six.
Did you call Conchita?
Antonio, did you call her?
No, I didn't.
Well, maybe I will then.
She might have that picture It old you about.
The one she took of both of us...
...In front of the Fine Arts School.
It would be nice to have it.
I was with Conchita...
...in the Casón when I first met you.
You were wearing a uniform, you had been drafted.
Yeah, I remember it.
I came in and you were drawing,
Conchita was beside you.
Later on, you both told me...
you told me...
...that you had told Conchita:
Hush up, there's an officer coming.
I can picture myself, tall and skinny...
...swimming in a uniform much too large for me.
Some officer!
Remember what sculpture you were drawing?
Not really.
I vaguely recall trying to draw something...
You see, I came to Madrid...
...because I wanted to be a cartoonist.
Although I quickly got into the Fine Arts circle.
I saw the San Fernando School and it hooked me.
I decided to become a painter.
I had two classes.
I remember seeing you with your apron.
You were a veteran.
I was kind of lost.
I knew everything there was to know about comics...
...so, well, I chose...
I started drawing...
...a sculpture, I can't remember its name.
Antonio, look.
It was a Greek sculpture kind of...
...bent forward, with an arm extended.
- The Apoxyomenos. - The Apoxyomenos.
And I, full of innocence...
...decided to use charcoal which dirties everything.
Worst of all...
...I wanted to give it more movement.
It looked really awful.
Julio Hermoso came along with his pipe...
- Eugenio. - Eugenio, right.
- And Julio Moises. - That's right.
Eugenio Hermoso...
...a kind man, but so old...
Very old, he was about to retire.
He raised his pipe...
...and said: "Yes...
...he's been in the Korean War."
This man has been in the Korean War.
He left without another word.
Well, I learned quickly.
Next time I drew a Venus.
Remember Soria Aedo?
Well...
At least, he was fun.
He had flat feet and walked real funny.
I remember...
...he used to tell us:
Let's see those hopes.
He was Andalusian.
There's nothing like Seville.
Soria told me something...
...that really helped me, the only thing that did.
I didn't understand it then.
- Always the same thing. - What was it?
He used to tell me: "Fuller, fuller."
It's true, he'd say that. I had forgotten.
But we were so awed by our teachers...
...That I never once dared asked him what it meant.
And then, time went by.
- Later on... - You understood.
And it's so important.
At least for me, it is.
- For everyone. - It's...
Fuller.
For the work to be fuller.
Anyway, I'm not going to explain that to you.
- It's basic. - We understand it now.
But you see, then, in school...
...they were so...
Especially Valverde.
They demanded too much respect.
We had to call them sir...
...and they kept their distance.
- That was the least of it. - But now...
...kids in college don't say "sir"...
...to their teachers.
Can you imagine calling Valverde by his first name?
Or Soria? That's why you didn't dare ask him...
...what he meant by "fuller".
I had forgotten all about it...
...but he did say it.
- "Fuller". - And...
..."Let's see those hopes."
- I remember... - Yes?
A painting you did in class.
A nude of the model we called Boticelli.
She had her back to you. It was lovely.
Right.
You see, preparation...
played a very important role.
We did it with Stolz.
The preparation...
...already included...
- Of the canvas, you mean. - We used a lot of oil.
Then...
...even a tiny spot gained a lot of strength.
It became very transparent.
But I still lacked experience.
I did that nude.
I remember you and others liked it a lot.
I remember a friar too.
It was the first exercise you ever did.
With his hand like this.
- His hand here. - That's right.
And the other one here.
Man, were those hands heavy!
You were here and the friar stood there.
From that angle.
- There was a window. - Yes, a window.
I copied it from a post card.
I really worked hard.
Did you destroy it?
No, an American couple bought it...
...for 3.000 pesetas I think.
- You didn't paint over it. - No, it's in the States.
Somewhere in the world.
Sometimes I wonder what became of it.
I mean, we had no money...
...we bought the poorest of paints.
I suppose that painting must be in bad shape...
I mean...
...cheap colors don't last.
By the way...
...you asked me if I painted over my friar.
Jesus!
We did some awful thing with those exercises.
Really...
Know what I liked best about school?
- What? - I'm speaking for myself.
Being together.
- Working together. - That was great.
We spent five years together.
We all graduated together.
We were good friends, like brothers.
Love between classmates was sincere.
...we spent most of our time together...
...we could tell if it was true or not.
It was all very nice.
And then...
...whenever we had some spare time...
Not too often, on week ends mostly...
...we went to the park in small groups.
We went to cafes...
...that no longer exist.
I got to know the Café Varela...
...and its tapestries.
You went to cafés...
...in those years?
Yeah, in the evening.
We'd talk and talk for hours...
...we were discovering the world.
We'd probably be bored to death now.
Yes, but I never went to cafes.
- No you didn't. - It's the age difference.
You were 14 years old and I was 21.
I went straight to the boarding-house.
One evening...
...we were at a table close to the window.
Suddenly, we heard...
...someone humming Beethoven's Ninth.
And there was Antonio López...
...oblivious to all, directing himself.
It was wonderful.
Wonderful.
We felt such a passion for music.
Lucio specially.
We still do, but it's different now.
How about some cookies?
Sounds fine to me.
- There's some chocolate. - I'll have chocolate too.
I'm thirsty, Have you got any coke?
- There's some in the fridge. - I'll have one.
This painting is something else, isn't it?
Know how old Michelangelo was when he did it?
Close to sixty, wasn't he?
Sixty three or sixty four.
He was getting on, wasn't he?
So he finished it at...
It took him four years.
He was 63 when he finished it.
If it took him 4 years...
...he finished it at 67 or 68.
Right.
Incredible!
Isn't it rather macabre...
...to paint himself as Saint Bartholomew?
It's something I've known for a while.
As people are always making things up...
...I didn't believe it at first.
But the resemblance is really incredible.
They discovered it last century.
No one knew it.
- Where is he? - Here.
Yes that's right.
Rather awful.
On the original, you can tell it's him.
You know how people always say...
...that some portraits look at you...
...or that thing about the fly on the glass?
That's why, at first, I didn't believe it was him.
You know...
...in a way...
...it's a negative self-criticism.
What do you mean ?
Well, you know...
...he called himself "a poor madman".
- He wasn't mad. - He said he was.
But he had a terrible outlook on life, didn't he?
Yes, he did.
To create a god who threatens...
...not only the damned but also the innocent.
They all look kind of intimidated by their god.
They certainly do.
Here's God.
- The innocent are here. - That's right.
- The damned are here. - No, those are the souls.
- Who go to Heaven. - They rise from the earth.
These go up...
- And these go down to Hell. - The resurrection, isn't it?
The descent...
...into Hell.
Would you like to be in that Paradise?
I've never believed in it.
No, I wouldn't like it, fawning all over God...
I don't believe in that.
Besides, he's a human God isn't he?
God must be brought to man somehow...
...that's why God became a man.
Such a different god from the Greek ones.
Just look at her over there, so very full of light.
Yes, she embodies a healthy spirit and soul.
And physical prime.
While here, all these strong men...
...are scabby.
Sorrowful.
Guilty.
Michelangelo looks tremendously sorrowful.
They look guilty.
It was another world...
...another thought, another time.
So much worse.
I mean, Phydias can be seen as a religious artist...
...but you don't notice it.
All you see is joy and beings in their prime.
And they're powerful, muscle everywhere, but...
...they re so...
- As if they denied life. - Yes, exactly.
- I'll get you a coke. - Fine.
Can I... ?
Can I have some...
...cake, Antonio?
Hows the portrait going?
Well...
...that's a challenge.
- Have you done much? - Quite a bit.
The model is truly impressive.
So full.
As if...
Whenever I look at her, I think of Phydias.
Those hands, that body, that head...
If I could get close enough to the model...
...say 7 percent, I'd be satisfied.
You know Manolo loves what I do.
He says it's doing well.
I don't argue because I like to hear him say it.
But I know how much...