Synopsis
In the fall of 1990, Antonio López García decides to paint the quince tree planted in the middle of the garden of his Madrid home. The artist carefully prepares his materials, outlines the perspective of the upcoming painting, and positions himself in front of the tree. Thus begins a one-on-one encounter between the painter and his “subject.” The constant visits from onlookers disrupt his tranquility and lead him to ponder the significance of his painting and what it inevitably conceals about reality.
A word from Tënk
In all types of weather, brightness and colors, Víctor Erice films a painter friend at work, making a film about a quest for light (as matter, as dream). How does one capture this "light" in the fullest sense of the word: by looking directly at it and interpreting it on canvas or by filming the one who pursues it with his brushes?
The painter, for his part, refuses the use of photography (as some of his colleagues do) to better capture the continuity of light, insisting on painting his canvas in direct contact with his subject (a quince tree) despite very fleeting seasonal light; even if it means having to give up some of his ambitions so as not to betray his desire to be close to it.
While maintaining his concentration and gentle soul, he must contend with rain, cold, wind, moving foliage, and branches bending under the weight of the fruits they support. He gradually perseveres in another type of perception, through touch, smells, sensations, dreams, and memories, always toward or through that absolute light that is "neither the light of the night, nor that of dusk, nor that of dawn," but "a clear and dark light at the same time, transforming everything into metal and ashes…"
Simon Galiero
Filmmaker, author and editor
of the documentary journal Communs.site
