The next time you walk through the Santa Clara Museum of Gandia, do not pass these figures by. Look closely. They are rare survivors of a pivotal era, quietly telling the story of Gandia’s place at the heart of Renaissance faith and power.
Extraordinary Reliquaries of Gandia
The next time you walk through the Santa Clara Museum of Gandia, do not pass these figures by. Look closely. They are rare survivors of a pivotal era, quietly telling the story of Gandia’s place at the heart of Renaissance faith and power.
Gold, Trade, and Identity: A 17th-Century Moretto Pendant in the Museum of Gandia
GET TO KNOW TERUEL
Discover Teruel and its extraordinary Aragonese architecture from the 12th to the 17th centuries. Explore its magical UNESCO World Heritage Mudéjar towers and cathedral, along with other remarkable Mudéjar masterpieces, before turning to the city’s magnificent Modernist gems.
A compact city where history comes alive and art, faith, and legend intersect, Teruel offers a vivid window into Aragón’s cultural identity and medieval imagination. It is also home to its most famous tale: the Legend of the Lovers of Teruel—a tragic medieval romance that predates, and is believed to have inspired, Shakespeare’s *Romeo and Juliet.
📍 Location: Cozy boardroom at Benitachell Properties
📽️ Format: Slideshow on a big screen
🎤 Speaker: Spain Historian - Karla Ingleton Darocas, B.A. (Hons)
🗓️ Dates: Friday, January 30 or
Monday, February 2, 2026
⏰ Time: 11:00 H
💶 Fee: 10 euros
🍷 Optional: Follow-up Q&A session and tapas at local bar for those who’d like to continue the conversation.
A relaxed, informative, and social morning for history lovers and curious minds alike.
👉 Spaces limited — all welcome!
JÁVEA Historical WALK
Explore and Learn About JÁVEA by visiting its historical architecture and monuments
* Guide * Arts Historian, Educator & Author - Karla Ingleton Darocas, B.A. (Hons)
BOOKING INFO & FORM
Timeless Masters Arrive in Valencia: A Free Exhibition of Europe’s Greatest Art
A major free exhibition has opened in Valencia, featuring nearly 90 paintings by renowned masters.
Starting January 2026
EXPERIENCE SPAIN LIKE NEVER BEFORE
Join SpainLifestyle.com for a morning at 11:00 with Karla Ingleton Darocas, B.A. (Hons), historian, author, and teacher. Enjoy immersive learning, storytelling, and visual exploration from the comfort of a cozy chair in the boardroom of Benitachell Properties in beautiful Benitachell.
Discover Spain’s iconic cities, architectural gems, historical milestones, and hidden treasures, along with a few lesser-known destinations that may inspire your next adventure.
Sign up for the mailing list at SpainLifestyle.com to receive your invitation with dates and times.
Spain’s Arts & Architecture Appreciation Classes
Discover Spain’s Arts & Architecture with Appreciation Classes
by Karla Ingleton Darocas, BA (Hons)
Unlock the beauty and stories behind Spain’s most iconic artists and architects — from the bold brush strokes of Velázquez and Goya to the visionary designs of Gaudí and beyond.
These inspiring classes take you on a visual journey through Spain’s great art movements, masterworks, and architectural marvels.
🏛️ What You’ll Experience
✔️ Explore the lives and works of Spain’s legendary artists
✔️ Decode the symbolism, styles, and techniques of major art movements
✔️ Learn how architecture reflects history, power, faith, and innovation
✔️ Enjoy captivating full-screen slideshows and passionate storytelling
✔️ Join a friendly, curious community of culture lovers
📍 Class Info
🗓 Mondays at 11:00
📌 Venue: Boardroom at Benitachell Properties SLC
Carrer Pare Plácido, 57, Planta Baja, 03726 Benitachell, Alicante, Spain
Instructor: Karla Ingleton Darocas, BA (Hons)
📧 Email: info@SpainLifestyle.com
📱 WhatsApp: +34 648 156 066
🌟 Art comes alive when you understand its roots.
Join to see Spain through a new lens — insightful, inspiring, unforgettable.
Joaquín Sorolla Exhibition at the Fundación Bancaja, Valencia
Recently, I had the great pleasure of visiting the Joaquín Sorolla exhibition at the Fundación Bancaja in Valencia with nine of my students. It was a truly remarkable experience. For me, it was especially thrilling to encounter several paintings that have long remained in the Sorolla family’s private collection, works that earned recognition and awards in academic exhibitions not only in Spain but across Europe and the United States.
MASKS OF THE YOUNG PICASSO
I AM STRUCK by the composition and spatial distancing of the characters in Picasso’s 1900 painting, "Pierrot and Colombina", which creates an interplay that seems to mirror his own sense of being an outsider. Pierrot and Colombina, the central figures in this work, are not inventions of Picasso’s imagination but rather theatrical archetypes from the Italian Commedia dell’Arte, which migrated across Europe and became immensely popular in Paris by the late 19th century.
Picasso’s Child with a Dove
IN 1901, PABLO PICASSO was barely twenty years old, brilliant, ambitious, and already restless. He had left Spain to chase success in Paris, where modern art was reinventing itself in the cafés and galleries of Montmartre. But that same year, his closest friend, Carlos Casagemas, took his own life, a loss that left Picasso heartbroken and profoundly changed. Standing between youthful optimism and personal grief, he created Child with a Dove, a painting that captures both innocence and the first shadow of sorrow.
Discover Sorolla: Bancaja Foundation
THIS OCTOBER 2025, we have a very special opportunity to continue our exploration of Joaquín Sorolla’s art outside the classroom. As many of you know, the Sorolla Museum in Madrid is temporarily closed for renovation and expansion. Because of this, an extraordinary collection of Sorolla’s masterpieces will be traveling to Valencia for a once-in-a-lifetime exhibition at the Bancaja Foundation, opening on October 3, 2025.
The exhibition will bring 60 of Sorolla’s most representative masterpieces, including two of my all-time favorites such as Paseo a la orilla del mar (Walk by the Sea) and El baño del caballo (The Horse’s Bath). These are rarely shown outside the Sorolla Museum, so to see them in Valencia is truly fabulous.
*******APPRECIATE ART & CULTURE * LOVE SPAIN
Resource Books written by
Karla Ingleton Darocas
and published by
SpainLifestyle.com
Resource Books written by
Karla Ingleton Darocas
and published by
SpainLifestyle.com
* CLICK HERE *
*******
The Silent Suffering of Childhood in Sorolla's Spain
DURING THE PERIOD of the great Valencian painter and humanist Joaquín Sorolla (1863-1923), children's health and social problems were an important issue, and his artwork reflects the harsh realities faced by the most vulnerable members of society. Sorolla's compassionate and often stark portrayals of sick or impoverished children, such as in "Sad Inheritance" (1899), served as a powerful form of social commentary, bringing to light the devastating effects of diseases like polio.
El Beso and Ferrándiz Bádenes
BREAKING NEWS!
The Bancaja Foundation of Valencia has extended the fabulous exhibition “Scenes and Landscapes in Valencian Painting. 19th and 20th Centuries”, which opened on May 9, 2025, until October 19, 2025!
This is such an exciting opportunity to dive into the rich world of Valencian art and experience masterpieces up close.
Among the incredible works on display is El Beso by Bernardo Ferrándiz Bádenes, a painting that captures all the warmth, tradition, and storytelling of the costumbrista style.
DO YOU KNOW ABOUT XÀBIA’S CORDELEROS?
WHEN I AM taking participants on my walking class around the old town of Xàbia (Jávea Historical Walk), I often remember to tell them about the hemp industry that was once a thriving part of village life.
WHAT WAS CLOTILDE WEARING ON HER STROLL THROUGH THE KING’S GARDENS?
In the summer of 1907, Joaquín Sorolla moved with his entire family to La Granja de San Ildefonso, where he had been commissioned to paint a portrait of King Alfonso XIII. During this stay, Sorolla also captured a portrait of his wife, Clotilde, dressed in the latest Parisian Belle Époque fashions, as she leisurely strolled through the palace gardens.
Sorolla’s Patriotic Scene
“The Cry of Palleter ” 1884, oil on canvas,
152 x 202 cm. Valencia Provincial Council.
AT THE CENTRO CULTURAL BANCAJA in Valencia, I found myself once again face to face with Joaquín Sorolla’s El grito del Palleter (The Cry of the Palleter), painted in 1884. It was included in the exhibition Scenes and Landscapes in Valencian Painting. 19th and 20th Centuries, a marvelous collection of works that shows the breadth of romantic and realist traditions in Valencian art.
Tribute to the Toil of the Reapers
RECENTLY, when I was at a fabulous art show in Valencia, I got to witness up close the grandeur of a social realist and luminous painting by Vicent Castell i Domènech (1871–1934). It struck me immediately as a tribute to the value, suffering, and eventual uprising of the Catalonian reapers.
From Posters to Petals: Learning the Story of Valencia’s Gran Fira
WHEN I WAS IN VALENCIA recently, I went to an art show where I discovered these magnificent vintage posters. It was the first time I learned about the history of the Gran Feria de València, the great July celebration of flowers and festivities.
Exploring the Royal Marsh of Gandia: A Serene Escape into Nature
On a sun-drenched day with just the right touch of breeze, the Royal Marsh of Gandia offered an ideal setting for a tranquil day trip filled with natural beauty and cultural charm.
*Report & Photos by Art Historian and Educator Karla Darocas, B.A. (Hons)*
Sueca: A Journey Through Modernist Architecture, Local History, and Artisan Chocolate
If you enjoy exploring towns rich in history, distinctive architecture, and authentic local experiences, Sueca, a medium-sized city in the Valencian province, should be on your itinerary. Just 30 minutes south of Valencia city, this charming destination offers a surprising mix of agricultural heritage, Modernist architecture, and artisan chocolate-making.
*Report & Photos by Art Historian and Educator Karla Darocas, B.A. (Hons)*
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