On-site sketching: “I have sketched the Alhambra. I will remember it forever.”

Abstract

At the beginning of an “on-site sketching” visit at the Alhambra, with students from the School of Architecture of the University of Alcalá (Fall, 2017), a discussion started about this academic practice: “Professor: since the Alhambra is so complex and the tour so quick, we should just take pictures so we will gain time, and then we can upload them to Instagram, bragging about the trip.” Although anecdotal, the petition poses three critical issues on the current understanding of heritage sites: What is the point of visiting a heritage site? What is the difference between drawing or photographing a heritage site regarding its comprehension? What changes have the new technologies introduced in visiting and understanding heritage sites? Trying to answer these questions by using the indicated “on-site sketching” and the Alhambra as a case study, is the objective of this article. Its structure follows what was the visit about: the first part, on trying to answer the abovementioned questions; the second, on presenting the results of this academic experience. The theoretical concepts developed throughout the article come from lessons learned in the Analysis of Architectural Forms course and from investigations on architecture education made by the authors. The in situ drawings are published without retouching. The answers to a specific survey made for this article come from the comments of the students who traveled to Granada. In addition to answering the raised questions, through the systematization of this academic experience, we want to emphasize the validity of sketching in the comprehension and enjoyment of architecture. As one of the students said at the end of the trip: “I have drawn the Alhambra. I will remember it forever.”