10 masterworks by Joaquín SOROLLA

Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida (1863-1923) is one of the great masters of contemporary Spanish painting. A universal Valencian who knew how to masterfully capture the periods of luminism and the impressionism, becoming one of the artists with the greatest international recognition and with a great influence on contemporary art. Thus, Sorolla is known as the master of light and color, capturing in a unique way all the light of the Mediterranean. His obsession with natural light was reflected in numerous works, standing out in the painting of portraits, landscapes, social and traditional and historical themes.

In this lesson of unPROFESOR.com we offer you a selection of Sorolla's masterpieces so that you learn to distinguish his style, technique, main characteristics and his artistic evolution over the years.

Index

1. Sorolla's paintings and his life
2. Navy (1881)
3. Another Margarita (1892)
4. Mother (1895)
5. Sewing the candle (1896)
6. The White Ship (1905)
7. Walk along the sea (1909)
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8. Self-portrait (1909)
9. Boys on the Beach (1910)
10. The siesta (1911)
11. The Pink Robe (1915)
12. Vision of Spain (1919)

Sorolla, orphan from an early age, was raised by his uncles, showing a remarkable artistic talent at a young age. He studied art in Valencia, Madrid, Rome, and Paris, evolving from the historical scenes and realistic and social themes of his early works to landscape paintings.

Sorolla was a impressionist painter Y received numerous awards from the earliest works of him, distributing a large number of his paintings by public and private collections around the world. Among Sorolla's masterpieces the following stand out.

This is one of the Sorolla's early works, made in the early years of his career, during his training. An oil painting on canvas painted in 1881 and in which the influence of the Valencian painter, archaeologist and naval pilot can be appreciated Rafael Monleon.

A cut painting academic that connects with the pictorial tradition of the XIX and in which it reflects the activity of a commercial port, representing with gray and ocher tones a classic scene of post-romantic marine, away from the large and brightly colored works of the later style of him.

One of his Sorolla's most famous works It is this painting in which he addresses for the first time the theme of social realism, showing a critical view of the enormous social inequalities of his time. The painting represents a woman handcuffed and accused of having murdered her baby and that she is transferred by the police on the train from Valencia to Madrid.

A transfer that Sorolla witnessed, feeling very impressed and deciding to capture the sad experience on canvas. The title refers to the Margaret of Faust (Goethe), a woman who in the literary work also drowns her son and is imprisoned. The scene is sad, dark and conveys the dejection, sadness and loneliness of the woman.

Madre is another of Sorolla's masterpieces. In this painting from 1895 the luminosity and compositional harmony which will be the hallmark of Sorolla's works. On the canvas, Sorolla tenderly shows his wife Clotilde resting after giving birth to her daughter.

But the Mediterranean luminosity so characteristic of his work is collected in this scene set in a garden of a Cabañal fisherman's house. In the work, Sorolla it details the moment when a group of men and women sew a candle.

A traditional scene in which we can appreciate the domain of light and color. The work was awarded the gold medal at the 1897 Munich International Exhibition and the Great State Medal at the 1898 Vienna International Exhibition.

The white boat or boat It's one of the Sorolla's most famous paintings and also one of those that best reflects the most exciting moment of his work: the discovery of the light and the beauty of the landscape of Jávea.

Sorolla transmits to us the cleanliness and transparency of the waters of Jávea, as well as the intensity that the colors acquire. A challenge that involves enrichment of the Sorolla palette, introducing ranges of greens, blues, turquoise and oranges. Color and light take over Sorolla's work.

It is another of Sorolla's masterpieces. This wonderful canvas is one of the Sorolla's iconic works. An oil on canvas painted by Sorolla in 1909 and in which he portrays his wife and his daughter walking along the beach. East, the sea, It is one of the key themes of Sorolla's pictorial work, in which other of his constants also appear, the family.

A work luminist and manners which is considered the culminating work of his artistic maturity. The dominance of the effect of light on white fabrics, color and expressiveness place Paseo on the seashore place this work within the current of the Spanish post-impressionism.

Joaquín Sorolla made numerous portraits and self-portraits. In this self-portrait from 1909, Sorolla portrays himself painting with the palette and next to a canvas.

Boys on the beach It is a work that is also framed within the postimpressionism. In this magnificent painting the author represents three children lying naked on the seashore. An image, that of children playing by the sea, which will be one of the recurring themes in the artist's work. The painting dates from 1910.

This is another of the Sorolla's masterpieces, considering itself as one of the great titles Spanish modern impressionism. The canvas shows four young people lying on the grass, each character presenting themselves with spots and effects of light and shadows based on thick brushstrokes.

The pink robe was described by Sorolla himself as the best thing he had ever painted. An authentic study of light and color, using all kinds of lighting: filtered lights, backlights, luminous shadows and all the necessary effects to transfer the clean and bright light of a sunny day to the canvas.

A true exercise of mastery in the handling of light that earned him the nickname of "Master of light."

And we finish off this list with one of Sorolla's most outstanding works due to its size: “Vision of Spain”. A great work in which Sorolla captured traditional scenes from the country. The collection is made up of 14 canvases dedicated to regions of Spain from the beginning of the 20th century and is located in the Hispanic Society of America, in New York.

Along with these canvases, many others are also exhibited. portraits of literati of the time like the poets Antonio Machado, Juan Ramon Jimenez and the novelists Baroja and Benito Pérez Galdós.

The collection of “Vision of Spain”Is composed of the following works:

• Castile. The feast of bread. (1913)
• Andalusia. The confinement. (1914)
• Seville. The Nazarenes. (1914)
• Aragon. The jack. (1914)
• Navarre. The Council of Roncal. (1914)
• Guipúzcoa. Bowling. (1914)
• Galicia. The pilgrimage. (1915)
• Seville. The dance. (1915)
• Seville. The bullfighters. (1915)
• Catalonia. Fish. (1915)
• Valencia. The rumps. (1916)
• Estremadura. The market. (1917)
• Elche. The palm grove. (1918-1919)
• Ayamonte. Tuna fishing. (1919)

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