Today I present to you an exceptional Spanish artist whose work I first saw a few years ago in his hometown of Valencia. In fact, one of the main reasons I chose Madrid for our nomadic month was my desire to visit the Museo Sorolla in the Spanish capital. Therefore, on a hot June day, we walk to the wonderful house with a garden and with great pleasure immerse ourselves in its world, in search of inspiration, charging and enrichment.
Who is Joaquin Sorolla
Born in 1863 in Valencia, Joaquin Sorolla lost his parents as a child and together with his sister were raised by his aunt and uncle. His first art lessons began when he was only 9 years old, then he studied at the School of Fine Arts in Valencia. At the age of 18, he went to Madrid, where he studied the works of the artists exhibited in the Prado Museum. Five years later, he went to study in Rome, then visited Paris and was introduced to the modern approach to art for the first time.
In 1888, he married Clotilde (Clotilde Garcia del Castillo) – his muse and great love for life. Together with their three children, they moved to the Spanish capital, where Soroya began working on large canvases for exhibitions in Madrid, Paris, Venice, Munich, Berlin, Chicago. Productive years followed, in which he established himself as an exceptional multifaceted talent, won numerous awards and painted hundreds of canvases – portraits – commissions and those of his family, landscapes, sunny canvases from the beach of Valencia.
At a later stage, the huge commission he received from the Hispanic Society of America, called Vision of Spain, involved long, exhausting journeys throughout Spain, exploring the different regions and presenting their cultural features in huge panels. The commission filled almost entirely the last years of his life and contributed significantly to the deterioration of his health.
In 1920, while painting in his garden, Sorolla suffered a stroke and was paralyzed for 3 years, until his death in 1923. The Sorolla Museum opened in 1932 and contains a rich collection of his paintings.
“My Wife and Daughters in the Garden”, 166 x 206 cm: to me, some of Sorolla’s canvases are more impressive and impactful than those of Renoir and Monet, so I am surprised that he is not as popular as the French Impressionists.
“The Horse’s Bath”, 205 x 250 cm. There is something magical about his way of depicting the water, the lack of horizon, the sunlit figures.
Impressionism and luminism – these are the two currents to which the paintings of Sorolla are classified, who seems to paint not with oil, but with light.
Much of his “marine” canvases were created on site, on the coast in Valencia, which is truly impressive given their size.
I especially like the photographic framing of the subject – the lack of a horizon and the interesting point of view.
I can honestly say that at this stage in my life, Sorolla is my favorite artist. The large-scale canvases, the summer subjects, the presentation of light, the looseness of the brushstrokes, with which the huge paintings look like quickly drawn sketches, the variety of subjects, his productivity and plein air painting – everything fascinates me and I can spend hours immersed in his world.
The colors at sunset: rich, bright, warm, simply wonderful.
The family siesta – a huge painting that captured the peaceful moment of afternoon sleep – it seems to me that Sorolla used the large canvases the way most artists use sketchbooks – with sweeping, large, loose strokes, without unnecessary details. This makes it extremely modern for the time in which it was created.
Visiting Museo Sorolla
When the artist and his family moved to Madrid, Sorolla ordered the construction of a family house with a garden, which, in addition to the living area, housed his studio and office, which later became the Sorolla Museum.
From the entrance we are greeted by a real oasis of beauty.
The artistic elements that contribute to the relaxed atmosphere.
I completely understand the idea of ??the garden as a refuge. When you’re an artist, you need to be surrounded by beauty and tranquility in order to bring that beauty back to the world in your canvases.
The dynamics of the capital seem somewhat distant when you immerse yourself into the world of Sorolla.
The visit to the museum begins with one of the wonderful portraits of Clodilde, 150 x 105 cm. Sorolla and his wife had a great love and their preserved letters bear witness to it. She is his model in many of his paintings.
What a great way to develop an attitude towards art early on.
“My children”, 160 x 230 cm. This portrait of Helena, Maria and Joaquin was probably inspired by Velazquez’s “Las Meninas”.
“After the Bath”, 128 x 193 cm. The simplicity and minimalism of the picture are remarkable.
“Mother”, 125 x 169 cm. Sorolla is a genius in recreating white and all its shades.
Sorolla welcomed his customers in this room. It has been preserved with the authentic furniture and I can easily imagine the visits and conversations.
I can stare for hours…
The studio:
What a wonderful place! The studio is a bit reminiscent of the one of Benliure’s atelier in Valencia, but Sorolla’s is much grander.
The beauty of the garden is captured in lot of his canvases.
Sorolla’s landscapes are magnificent, but I love those with figures on the beach and in the water.
The large canvases must be seen in real life – no photo can truthfully represent a painting sized 205 х 200 сm.
“Walk on the Beach” – probably one of the most famous artworks by Sorolla: a portrait of Clodilde and their daughter Maria.
The studio is really stunning: obviously designed especially to meet the requirements of the artist.
The exhibition 100 Objects
For the 100th anniversary of Sorolla’s death, the museum has arranged the exhibition “One Hundred Objects” – mostly exquisite works of art owned by the family, which tell interesting stories and complement curious details of Sorolla’s life.
At the time when Sorolla was creating, the two main patrons of artists – the church and the royal family – gave way to art dealers. Artists began to travel the world and build a network of acquaintances that helped them sell their works. During these trips, Soroya met artists such as Sargent, Zorn, Rodin and exchanged ideas and artworks.
This Sargent watercolor, interesting as a choice of subject, is among the hundred family posessions (the painting with the donkey) :).
Sorolla’s children also study art: Maria and Joaquin painting, Helena was into sculpting.
Another lovely portrait of Clotilde. Alas, the picture simply cannot convey its magnificence.
And a little treat for me 🙂
Bliss: my artist soul is fed, watered, inspired, fulfilled to the limit. Profound recharging of the art batteries.
If you are in Madrid and you like art, definitely give yourself this experience.
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