Washington Irving, the “everlasting” visitor of the Alhambra

Since today, the North American writer Washington Irving will be the “everlasting” visitor of the Alhambra. His memory is celebrated by a bronze sculpture by the artist Julio López placed in the Alhambra Woods. This morning, Jesús Huertas, Representative of the Autonomous Government of Andalusia in Granada, and María del Mar Villafranca, Director of the Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife, have unveiled the sculpture which was a perfect finale to the Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife of the author of Tales of the Alhambra, organized by the Autonomous body which is managing the Alhambra. José Torres Hurtado, Mayor of the city, also have been to the event, together with Valerie O’Brien, the Assistant Cultural Attaché of the US Embassy in Spain, and representatives of other institutions.
The sculpture, 2.15 m high, is placed on a marble stone pedestal in which is shown the inscription “Hijo de la Alhambra” (Son of the Alhambra). Washington Irving is depicted, with elegant cloth and romantic and adventurous air. The figure of the writer is flanked by a traveler bag and a still life with a sketchbook and a Nasrid capital. Following Julio López, Irving’s expression reveals “surprise and astonishment of the writer on his arrival to Granada, from another civilization, and when he ran into the Alhambra”.
The artista who made the sculpture is member of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando and is considered one of the most renowned Spanish Realist sculptors. Among the most renowned works by Julio López, there are the urban sculpture of the painter in front of the Prado Museum, the one of the Kings of Spain in front of the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo in Valladolid and the one of Federico García Lorca in the Plaza de Santa Ana in Madrid.