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Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida
(1863-1923)
Return From Fishing Towing the Bark
Boys at the Beach
Though his youth
was riddled with sorrow and tragedy, Sorolla somehow
managed to become one of the greatest painters of light,
joy and beauty in his time. Known for the way he
captured beauty and light in his outdoor scenes, and
grace and dignity in his portraiture's, Sorolla is also
one of the least recognized artists amongst his
contemporaries.
At the age of two, Sorolla was orphaned when his parents
contracted Cholera and died. While living with his aunt
and uncle, Sorolla developed a love of art. By the time
he was 15, he was studying painting in his hometown, and
even took instruction from sculptor Cayentano Capuz and
painter Francisco Pradilla. At 18, he was copying old
master paintings at the Museo del Prado in Madrid.
After studying in Rome at the age of 22, Bastida became
fascinated with light and mastered the technique that
became his trademark. During this time, Sorolla and his
colleagues formed a progressive group called "The
Macchiaoli" which still has a following today. These
artists are generally referred to as the Italian
response to the Impressionist movement.
In these early years, before fully utilizing his full
potential at painting light, Sorolla often produced
paintings of religious or serious social meaning. One of
these sad compositions are "Otra Margarita", which
portrays a downtrodden woman, and also "Sad Inheritance"
(1899) a painting of laundry workers.
Otra Margarita, 1892
After this period,
Sorolla seemed to lighten up a bit. From 1901 to 1905,
he produced more than 500 oil paintings in plein air
technique, which is painting outdoor scenes on location.
He used a spontaneous approach and often left works
looking unfinished, but managed to capture his subjects
in a candid and intimate way that only a camera can
produce today.
One of the reasons that a Sorolla work can be hard to
distinguish is because of his indistinguishable style.
Impressionist, Realist, Expressionist and Classicist—he
has been called all of these, and in a sense, Sorolla is
a culmination of them all. His beach scenes are like
impressionist-style snapshots, but he was also able to
produce beautifully detailed 17th century-styled
portraits. He was commissioned to do portraits of famous
people and nobility, such as President William H. Taft
and King Alphonso and Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain.
So how can you tell if you own a Sorolla? If it is a
portrait, look at the color scheme. Does it mirror that
of Goya, or any other Spanish master? Sorolla borrowed
heavily from their classic color palates, giving his
work a deep and velvety texture. If the work in question
is a beach scene, pay close attention to details. If the
water has a mirror-like quality and a brilliant shine,
you may have a genuine Sorolla. Few painters have ever
mastered the way he portrays reflection in water, and
this is perhaps his greatest achievement. Evidence of
this style can be seen in his famous "Two Sisters"; the
girls on the beach are happy and the water beneath them
sparkles as if alive. Most of Sorolla's beach scenes
take place in his hometown of Valencia, Spain, so look
for evidence of that in his paintings as well. Sorolla
also had a way of painting the opaqueness of thin
fabrics (sheets, dresses), and they are always highly
animated and billowy in his beach scenes as well.
Two Sisters, 1909
While it is not likely
that a portraiture of Sorolla's would be uncatalogued or
unknown, there are great possibilities for beach scenes
and landscapes. Because he was so prolific, Sorolla
created hundreds of beach paintings, which often went
unsold at his salons and galleries. Could there be a
lost Sorolla beach scene hanging on someones wall or
hidden in an attic in Valencia or the United States?
Most certainly.
During the span of his career, Sorolla was always in
demand, but generally disliked or ignored due to newer
styles of painting. Sadly, Cubism, Fauvism and
Surrealism caught the attention of the art world, and
his work was often dismissed as outdated and too
classical. The beauty of children at play and common
people living their lives was not of interest to his
contemporaries.
One of Sorolla's greatest achievements was a panel
painting project that he was commissioned for from the
Museum of Hispanic Society. He worked on this project
for seven years (1912-1919) and the grueling work took
it's toll on the elderly artist. He suffered a stroke in
1920 and was able to produce little work after that due
to paralysis. He died in 1923 while, ironically,
painting a portrait in his garden.
Sorolla's work is house all over Europe and the United
States. A large collection of his work was willed to the
people of Spain by Sorolla's wife and is now housed at
the Museo Sorolla in Madrid. While Sorolla may not be
the best known Spanish painter, he certainly was able to
capture light, joy and beauty in a time when political
messages and abstraction reigned supreme.
