"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 dont finish soon, we´ll lose shares" "Either they bring sand or we´ll be doing nothing" "Lets 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." "I´tsmy 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."" ""Dont 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 thats my love for you As grains of sand on the beach."" "Get the mix ready" ""With an armfull 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´s it'?" " Lovely!" "It is" "He probably started it this morning." "How about those marks on the leaves'?" "Weird, isn´s 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... wich 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 comunicate 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´llgo 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 somes 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´thelp 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 botht old 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 want ed to be a cartoonist." "Althought 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." "Nex 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 t ell 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 threat ens 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." "Sorrowfull." "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´llget you a coke." " Fine." "Can I... '?" "Can I have some cake, Antonio'?" "Hows the portrait going'?" "Well thats 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 per cent, 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..." "But I know how much that portrait needs." "By the way, someone once told me that painters middle-aged painters in Paris men who are now the same age than us work with feverish intensity." "I didn´t understand it then but I admired them for it." "Now that I´m that age, I understand it." "I too work with intensity." "Time is precious." "I work non-stop now." "I know we have much vitality, I know that but but time as such can´t last much longer." "We still have a few years but unconsciously, our mind pushes us..." "Well..." "Spanish National Radio." "Yesterday, the Arab League asked the U.N..." "Let´s go." "Shall I take the chairs inside'?" "And the box too." "Take it." "Sadam Hussein asked the world´s Moslems to free Jerusalem where Israel´s armed forces killed 21 Palestinians and wounded another 200." "Soldiers with gas masks wat ched the streets that lead to the Wailing Wall and closed the accesses to the mosques." "Succesful landing by the shuttle Discovery." "The D.A. Asks for 70 years in jail for Amedo and Dominguez the two policemen accused of belonging to a terrorist band and of having planned six unsuccessful murders..." "Friday, October 12" "Monday, October, 15" "Tuesday, October 16" "Thursday, October 18" "Tuesday, October 23" "Mari, were you aleep'?" "I m sorry, but the lights gone." "Have you got light at your place'?" "I know." "Shall I call Jan '?" "It s very late." "Here I was, happily painting away and I have to go to bed." "Wednesday, October 24" "So much glue." "Your shadow." " Alright, that´s it." " It is'?" "Let´s see." " My shadow´s in the way." " Right." " No problem." " There." "More towards you." "A little more." "That´s fine, leave it as it is." "Leave it." "It s drying over here." "The weather´s really rotten!" "Here." "It´s pretty damp." "It´s still very wet." "Give it here." "Let´s see if it´s stuck by tomorrow and I can start drawing" " Do you want to start tomorrow'?" " Well..." "I´ll glue the other side tomorrow." "I´ll start the day after." "I´m way behind as it is." "I don t think you´re going to make it." "I can try." "You finish it." " Over there." " I´m falling." "Okay, the methacrylate." "Well that´s it." "I´ll get the tiles." "I´ll give them to you." " Sure, let me." " No, dont." "We need more." "It must be stable." "No, don´t." "Give me another one." "Alright, that´s it." "Let it be." "Did you bring your car?" " And an umbrella?" " That I did." "Alright, let´s go." "Come on." "What a downpour!" "Let´s go." "Thursday, October 25" "Friday, October 26" "Saturday, October 27" "Crude went up again yesterday." "However, the initial hike of 3 $ on Brent crude was finally reduced to, 0.85 leaving the barrel at 33, 7 dollars." "The Madrid Stock Exchange lost 4 points." "Tokyo lost 346 points New York, 48." "The spanish ships Numancia, Diana and Cristina will sail from Cartagena on the 31st of this month for the Gulf." "This was confirmed by the Ministry of Defense." "The two football teams Madrid Atletico and Barcelona play today." "Weather forecast." "Very cloudy skies in most of the country." "Heavy rainst orms in the Northern half..." "Sunday, October 28" "So you´ve left the canvas the painting." " I started drawing." " When ?" "A couple of days ago." "Why did you stop painting." "You didn t lik e it'?" "The weather was so rotten so unsettled, so horrible I couldn´t go on painting." "I wanted to show the sun on the tree." "But the light changed so often I couldn´t go on." "Will you be able to pick it up next year?" "You see, next year the quinces, the leaves will have changed." " So, that´sit." " Yes, that´s it." "You hadn´t painted one for a while." "That´s why I wanted to do it." "You did two quince trees..." "Mom told me to paint it and I liked the idea." " Now it´s Mom´s fault." " Well, I wouldn t..." "Alright, alright." "All I did was complain about the weather." "I haven´t been very lucky." "It´s typical October weather." "This year´s been worse than usual." "Truly horrible." "Monday, October 29" "Thursday, November 1" "Friday, November 2" "There isn´t much left." " She says it´s very good." " Good?" "You prefer drinking it hot in China, don´t you?" "It´s good this way too." "Apparently, in Madrid, people drink it cold." "Not really." "But I bring it early and by now, it´s cold." "Well, I like it" "Is it the first time you´ve painted this tree'?" "The third time." "Last year, I drew it." "It was a smaller drawing." "You probably like this tree very much." "Yes, I do." "I like quince trees." "The tree and its fruit." "I´ve drawn other trees but I have a kind of tendency to work on quince trees." "I don´t know why." "Well, the fruit is beautiful." "Maybe you planted the tree yourself." "I did, yes." "Some four years ago." "Well, that explains it, doesn´t it'?" "But I planted others." "I planted that one too." "I have noticed that your method is quite different from the ones used by others." " What others?" " Other painters." " I see." " As far as I know a lot of painters feel more comfortable working from a picture." "Well the best part is being close to the tree." "That is more important than the end result for me." "A picture doesn´t give you that." "That may also be because you love that tree." "That´s right." "Another thing that impresses her is the compactness of the compositions you normally do." "Well, here and in general I like the order created by symetry." "I centered the tree on the paper." "The heart of the vision is the center of the paper." "Apparently, a lot of artists avoid doing this because people don´t seem to like it." "That may be, but doing it this way the tree, in my opinion has presence." "By centering it by avoiding all esthetic games on paper with space... the object is shown in an ordered way in relation to symmetry." "Do you smoke?" " No, thank you." " What about you, Xao Ming'?" "Have one." "You had a question." "Thank you." "She´s wondering about those marks on the tree." "She´dlike to know if you use them to fix to get a perspective in your composition." "The marks in general or some in particular'?" "For example those white lines, those threads." "The threads." "This is the vertical line." "If you prefer, the center of what I see." "It´s also the center of what I´m representing." "This thread over there is the horizontal line also in the center." "So, taking these vertical and horizontal line I can place all my elements." "Now, these horizontal marks over here on the quinces and on the leaves show, since I started working how the fruits are lower because of the weight how the branches have bent." "They were over here." "This mark used to be over here." "Since I started the tips have gone down some five centimeters." "Here, it hasn´t moved." " So you keep on correcting." " Yes that´s right." "I corret." "I follow the tree." "I´m always parallel to the development of the tree." "Do you think you´ll finish it before the quinces fall?" "The tree s still fine." "I started a month ago." "She says it is now possible to see that the sun is shining lightly on the fruits and on the leaves." "It is very pretty." "Do you also wish to represent that light?" "It´s impossible." "In that sense, our language is very limited." "I may only show the boundaries of shapes and thus the tree." "But it will become an oil painting won´t it?" "No, I started with one and ended up with a drawing." "You see the sun It was there a moment ago, wonderful but it´s already gone." "It changes so quickly." "...I couldn´t go on painting." "It´s wonderful, but I had to give it up." "I had to." "You always have to give something up." "Monday, November 5" "What a beautiful tree!" "It´s madness!" "And just look at this one over here!" "He´s so orderly." "I suppose he must..." "Did you see the hot-house'?" "Of course!" "Look, this is where he stands." "He stands right here." " There are marks down there." " Sure." "He places his feet here." "Then, he uses this line plus the vertical one from the plumb line to refer to the mark on the tree." "That way, his point of view never changes." "He always has to see it from here from this point." "What if he blinks?" "He loses his point of view." "He does." "I´m really astounded." "I couldn´t see it that close up." "I´d have to work a little more removed." "Perhaps I´m more the spectat or than the act or." "I´ve always wondered about that obsession with physical space about square inches." "For me, feelings about colors are all-powerful." "No, what we have here is the perfect union between feelings and order." "It´s as if he were distrustful." "But it´salways feeling and order." "Reason and intuition go hand in hand." "How are you doing?" " Aren´t we all dressed up?" " Was there any choice?" "So, you´re admiring the model." "You don´t mind us seeing the ins and outs, do you?" "Of course not, they re pretty obvious." " They are, aren´t they?" " Besides, nowadays..." "It´s a map a map of the tree." " A map..." " Really, it is." "A map where..." " Have you seen this?" " I certainly have." "I didn´t want to mention it." "Goodness me!" "Wait, that´s about three days worth." "I don´t pick them up every day." "I don´t smoke that much in one day." "I bet the tree does." " Time to go." " Yes, let´s go." "Monday, November 19" "Wait, just a little more." "It´s in full decadence." "The leaves are hiding the quince." "You´re going to shadow it, like in Middle Distance?" "No, I can´t." "That tomato thing was so funny!" "Don´t make me laugh." "I´ll wreck the leaf and I´m ust go." "Don´t shake it, lower it a bit." " Listen, this is difficult." " Yes, I know." "Just a little more." "The poor thing won´t last much longer." " It is going to be long?" " Just a little more." "I´m nearly finished." "Alright." "Now, let´s see..." "I knew it." "The little one over here, just a little bit." "That´s it." "A little higher." "That rod is right on my nose." "Let´s see." "Have you had that problem with other trees?" "Well, I never..." "Should I look up or down ?" " It never took that long?" " Well, not so late..." "Not so late in the year." "We are in mid November." " Lower?" " No, now go to..." " Where?" " Let´s see..." "This one?" "Wait a minute." "That one over there." " This one?" "Careful..." "There, there, don t move it now." "That´s easy to say." "They´re getting bigger." "The quinces, I mean." "Incredible." "They´ll be huge." "Which one?" " That one." " Like that?" " Yes, one minute." " Come on." " Wait, let me see." "It´s hanging in there." "Look how lovely it is with the sun over there." "Friday, November 23" " Raise that leaf a little." " This one?" "That one, that one." "I can´t see." "Move a little." " Like that'?" " That´s right." "Aren´t these quinces full of lumps?" "See, they´real bumpy." "Look, over here." "It looks great." "Now don´t start." "Maybe you could give it a little more firmness." "Put the leaf over there." "I can´t see." "What was that?" " What did you say?" " I think this area is fine as it is." "You may be suffocating it a bit." "Why don´t you work on the lower part on the bottom leaves'?" " Which?" " The bottom ones." " Over here." " Just a little more." "To finish it." " Damn wind!" " God, it´s cold!" "I´ll sing a little." ""Darling, my darling..."" "That´s the song." "Start again." "Darling, my darling..."" " Again." " Do you want me to start again ?" "Wait, I´m eating." "You go ahead and draw." "Bet I look cute holding the leaf" "Alright." ""Darling, my darling spring of marjoram foam flowing on the river..."" " Dreadful!" " It is'?" " Again." " We were doing fine." ""Darling..."" ""Darling, my darling spring of marjoram foam flowing on the river morning star."" ""All over Seville I´ve planted defiant flags."" ""And each flag says:" "...darling, my darling."" " How was it?" " So, so." "I didn´t really like it." "We can do it better." "Shall we try again ?" "Alright." "Let´s see how do I do it." ""Darling, my darling spring of marjoram foam flowing on the river morning star."" ""All over Seville." "I´ve planted defiant flags."" ""And each flag says darling, my darling."" " Better, wasn´t it'?" " Yeah, better." "Shall I keep on lifting the leaf?" "It would be funny if it weren´t so serious." " Like that?" " A little more." " What?" " More time." "Time." "Well..." "Did you find Conchita´s picture?" "I didn´t." "I called her several times, day and night" "I tried through a mutual friend." "That´s enough." "But they´re probably on the coast." "There´s no way I can reach them." "We´ll have to forget the picture." "It´s a pity, it was so pretty." "Told you about it, didn´t I?" "Didn´t I ever see it?" "I don´t think so, she only gave it to me." "We were standing in front of the school." "That´s when she took the picture." "I remember it quite well." "I was quite impressed when I saw it." "We both had the same look a kind of tense face a kind of hunger, of passion for art." "Besides not having a cent to our name, of course." "We looked kind of angry, yes, that s right." "Well, if we re lucky I´ll be able to find Conchita some day and ask her for it." "Do you know how long I´ve been here?" "No, I don´t." "I mean, since I started working on this tree?" " How many months?" " Months, weeks..." "Monday, December 3" "Sunday, December 9" "Monday, December 10" "Alright." "It´s over." "Let´s cover the lemon trees." "Tuesday, December 11" " Choose the ripest ones." " This one?" " They´re full of spots..." " He paints everything." "It´s Dad´s doing." "He marked them to make a drawing." " Lovely!" " Look how big this one is!" "Remember when we made pounds of quince jelly?" "Lovely." "Beautiful." " How many do you need?" "A few more." "Wonderful." "How can such a small tree bear so much fruit'?" "All together two hundred and three." "Man we need at least six more houses for that." "Here you are, quince." " Do you want to try it?" " See what it´s like." "You want some, Marek?" "I´ll give you some." "What if it´s poisoned or something like that'?" "Don´t be silly." "Here, Marek, try it." " You sure it´s edible?" " Try it." "It tastes like an uripe pear." "Well?" "Nothing to go wild about." "Good for quince jelly." "A bit dry, isn´t it?" "Ready?" "The shirt and the socks are different." "I know, but it´s alright." "I can find them." " Are they here?" " Yes, they are." "They brought some things to hold." "We can choose them later." " Alright." "I´ll put this here." "Isn´t it pretty?" "Alright, wait." "Turn your head a little." "Not that much." "I think the head is higher." " Higher, isn´t it?" " I think so." "Wait." "Don´t move." "Get up, that´s it." "Turn a little this way, yes, that´s right" "The hands..." "Remember?" "This hand was more or less here." " You look great!" " Isn´t it pretty?" "If you like it, it´s fine with me." " What?" " You know my opinion." "Yes, yes, I know." "To work on a painting after so long I think..." "I could prepare a canvas that same size." "You´d start again completely free from the beginning, without worrying." "I think that would be the best." "Maybe I will." "I don´t know." "Give me a few days." "What you´re suggesting may be the best solution." "But I want to try something." "Let´s try it." "Isn´t it pretty?" "Lovely." " Like it?" " Very much." "What about this picture?" "That´s nice too." "Which should I be holding?" " We´ll think about it." " Both of them ?" "One?" "We´ll think about it." "We should take a trip." "Where would we go?" "To Greece." "I´m in Tomelloso in front of the house where I was born." "Across the square I see trees that had never been there before." "I recognize the dark leaves and the golden fruits of the quince trees." "My parents and I are beneath the trees along with some people I can´t seem to place." "I can hear our voices." "We chat peacefully." "Our feet sink in the muddy ground." "All around us, on the branches the ever softer, wrinkled fruit hangs." "Dark spots slowly cover their skin." "In the still air, I feel their flesh rotting." "From where I stand I can´t tell if the others can see it too." "Nobody seems to notice that the quinces are rotting under a light I can´t really describe." "Clear, yet dark, that changes all into metal and dust." "It isn´t the night light." "Neither is it that of twilight." "Nor of dawn..." "Spring."