Sorolla
"The painter of light". This is how Joaquín Sorolla (27 February 1863 - 10 August 1923) , one of the main figures in the history of Spanish art and one of the most internationally famous painters of his time, is known. Because this artist was able to capture light and movement in his paintings like none other. You'll find rural landscapes, fishing customs from the Mediterranean coast, social scenes, portraits... They have all got something in common: warmth and sensitivity that will engage your senses.
(1863–1923). The sunny seacoast of Valencia, Spain, is vividly portrayed in the best paintings of Spanish artist Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida. His style was a variation of Impressionism, and he excelled in marine compositions involving brilliant sunlight effects.
"Paseo por la playa" 1909 "Pescadores de Valencia" 1895 "Corriendo por la playa" 1908
Sorolla was born on February 27, 1863, in Valencia. His family was poor, and he was orphaned at the age of two. He displayed an early artistic talent and was admitted to the Academy of San Carlos in Valencia when he was 15 years old. After further studies in Rome, Italy, and Paris, he returned to Valencia. At first he painted historical and social realist works, including Otra Margarita (1892), his earliest success. He became more noted, however, for his landscapes and genre paintings (scenes of everyday life). He used thick paints, and he treated narrative and anecdotal themes in an Impressionist manner.
In 1909 Sorolla went to the United States to exhibit his paintings at the Hispanic Society in New York City. His solo exhibition was praised by critics, which led to his commission to paint a portrait of President William Howard Taft in 1909. Upon his return to Spain he purchased a beach house in Valencia, on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. For the rest of his career his paintings were inspired by the dazzling light on the waters by his home. His beach scenes are marked by sharp contrasts of light and shade, brilliant colors, and vigorous brushstrokes. Sorolla died on August 10, 1923, at Cercedilla, Spain.
Valencia, where he was born.
The best way to understand Sorolla is to travel to Valencia. The beaches in the area will help us understand the reflections and the combinations of blue and white that painter managed in scenes of women on the beach, children playing, fishermen… The ones he made of El Cabañal beach are very well known. "The Young Yachtsman" and "The Horse's Bath" are some examples.
"El dueño de un yate joven" 1909 "El baño del caballo" 1909
Madrid, his family house.
If the warm Mediterranean sun was one of the factors that had the greatest impact on Sorolla's work, another factor was his visit to the Prado Museum (one of the most important museums in the world) when he was only 18. There he discovered Velázquez's paintings, which defined his way of seeing art. Sorolla currently has a place of honour in the museum, next to his master - there are several of Sorolla's paintings hanging in the Prado Museum, like "Boys on the Beach".
"Niños en la playa" 1910
How about visiting the museums where you'll find some of the artist's paintings?
We recommend visiting the Valencia Museum of Fine Arts and the House-Museum of José Benlliure. The Valencia Institute of Modern Art (IVAM) and the Bancaja Cultural Centre have also held important exhibitions on the artist. Close by, in the Museum of Fine Arts in Castellón, you'll also find his works. As for monuments, go to the chapel at the old college of San Pablo (Lluis Vives Institute), which the Valencian painter immortalised in "El patio del instituto" or in Valencia's cemetery, where you'll find Sorolla's grave next to those of other important figures such as writer Blasco Ibáñez.
In Madrid there is also a very special corner where you can discover the artist's true essence - Sorolla museum . You can't miss this old family residence that was turned into a museum following the wishes of his widow. On entering you'll leave the hustle and bustle of the city behind; you'll imagine the staircase that models used when posing for the artist; you'll hear the trickling of the fountains in the garden… and above all, you'll see some of Sorolla's best-known works: "The Gardens at the Sorolla Family House", "Clotilde Seated on the Sofa", "Self-portrait", "The Pink Robe. After the Bath", "Strolling along the Seashore", "The Bathing Hour, Valencia", "My Children", "Fifth Avenue, New York"; "The Siesta", "Mother", etc. You can also visit the San Fernando Royal Academy of Fine Arts (where there are some of his works), and the town of Cercedilla, near Madrid, where Sorolla died in 1923.
"Clotilde sentada en un sofá" 1910 "Autoretrato" 1905
As well as in these two important places in Sorolla's life, his works can be found in many towns in Spain such as in Malaga, Cordoba, Seville, A Coruña, San Sebastián...