PICASSO * The Early Years * Lecture & Slideshow

EVENT DETAILS
Monday, October 13. 2025
17:00 H - 5pm
10€ Donation
BENITACHELL 
(Boardroom of Benitachell Properties SL)
Carrer Pare Plácido, 57, 03726 


INTRODUCTION

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.

FALL 2025 LECTURE AGENDA

Mondays @ 5pm 
(Boardroom of Benitachell Properties SL) 

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

PICASSO* Part Two * Lecture & Slideshow

EVENT DETAILS
Monday, October 20, 2025
17:00 H - 5pm
10€ Donation
BENITACHELL 
(Boardroom of Benitachell Properties SL)
Carrer Pare Plácido, 57, 03726 


INTRODUCTION

DALI * Part One * Lecture & Slideshow

EVENT DETAILS
Monday, October 27, 2025
17:00 H - 5pm
10€ Donation
BENITACHELL 
(Boardroom of Benitachell Properties SL)
Carrer Pare Plácido, 57, 03726 


INTRODUCTION 

DALI * Part Two * Lecture & Slideshow

EVENT DETAILS
Monday, November 3, 2025
17:00 H - 5pm
10€ Donation
BENITACHELL 
(Boardroom of Benitachell Properties SL)
Carrer Pare Plácido, 57, 03726 


INTRODUCTION

ANTONI GAUDI * Part One * Lecture & Slideshow

 
EVENT DETAILS 
Monday, November 10, 2025
17:00 H - 5pm
10€ Donation
BENITACHELL
(Boardroom of Benitachell Properties SL)
Carrer Pare Plácido, 57, 03726



INTRODUCTION


ANTONI GAUDI * Part Two * Lecture & Slideshow

 
EVENT DETAILS 
Monday, November 17, 2025
17:00 H - 5pm
10€ Donation
BENITACHELL
(Boardroom of Benitachell Properties SL)
Carrer Pare Plácido, 57, 03726



INTRODUCTION


Spain’s Arts & Architecture Appreciation Classes

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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 5:00 PM

📌 Venue: Boardroom at Benitachell Properties SLC
Carrer Pare Plácido, 57, Planta Baja, 03726 Benitachell, Alicante, Spain

📚 Classes resume in September 2025

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.


Discover Sorolla: Art Lecture Excursion to the 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 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)*