Se secó al sol

Se secó al sol
 

Why the sentence "La ropa se secó al sol." is not with del? Shouldn't it be "La ropa se secó del sol." I thought "a" is used when the verb is directed to a person or an animal, for which there are feelings.

al sol = exposed to the sun

(del sol sounds like "from the sun" what makes no sense)

"a" + article + noun

creates adverbial phrases:

al sol
a la sombra
a la manera de = en el estilo de
a horcajadas (astride)
al pie de la letra (to the letter)

I agree with Alec. "Al sol" describes the way the clothes got dry.

As for another preposition, you could say "con el sol", which talks about the factor that made the clothes get dry. But if you say "del sol", then it's as if the clothes had been damped with sun and then they dried it off... interesting poetic image. ;)

Thank you.