SOROLLA'S GREATEST CHALLENGE WAS FACING THE LIGHT OF NATURE

Although outdoor painting was very popular in Sorolla's day, it was only after the turn of the century that he really became addicted to it. Why was painting outdoors so exciting and risky for Sorolla? But also, why was light so important in general?  Do you want to understand more? 

Article by Karla Darocas, Hons. B.A. (KarlaDarocas.com) (C) SpainLifestyle.com.

SOROLLA FANS * A SPECIAL CENTENARY CELEBRATION

Fifty extraordinary original works by Sorolla, many of them masterpieces, from one of Spain's most important private collections, the María Cristina Masaveu Peterson Foundation, descendants of a powerful industrial family, will be exhibited at the Museum of Fine Arts in Valencia from 29 June to 1 October 2023 to celebrate the centenary of his death.

* Report by Karla Ingleton Darocas, Hons. B.A. (KarlaDarocas.com)

REVIEW * CLASS TRIP * EXHIBITIONS * Sorolla Childhood & Paths of Modernity

The Bancaja Foundation exhibition of 86 paintings by Sorolla dedicated to childhood was wonderful. The exhibition rooms were spacious, and the walls were painted a muted grey so that the unique Mediterranean colours he used in his painting really stood out.

* Report by Karla Ingleton Darocas. Hons. B. A.  (KarlaDarocas.com)

SOROLLA'S CHILDREN OF THE ROCKS

 

Children Looking for Shellfish, 1919

After completing the final panel for Vision of Spain, also known as The Provinces of Spain, a 1913-19 series of fourteen monumental paintings depicting the customs, costumes and traditions of the regions of Spain commissioned by Archie Huntington for the Hispanic Society of America, Sorolla returned to Madrid. He then travelled to Valencia at the end of July. From there he went on holiday to Mallorca, which he found "interesting but too dead", so he decided to move to Ibiza.

* Report by Karla Ingleton Darocas. Hons. B. A.  (KarlaDarocas.com)

SOROLLA'S CHILDREN OF THE LIGHT

The Bath at La Granja, 1907

In the summer of 1907, Joaquín Sorolla painted in the gardens of La Granja de San Ildefonso, an idyllic setting he had briefly encountered the previous autumn when he went to paint the portrait of King Alfonso XIII. He found the gardens very beautiful to work in. On this summer trip, he enjoyed the company of his family and painted for long days for pleasure and in the fresh air, in a natural setting that invited experimentation.

* Report by Karla Ingleton Darocas. Hons. B. A.  (KarlaDarocas.com)

THE ENLIGHTENED CHILDREN OF SOROLLA

Elenita at her Desk' (1898)

Now that the new school year is starting, it might be a good idea to take a look at Joaquín Sorolla and Clotilde as parents. They were both very concerned about their children's education, first at home, where Clotilde gave lessons, and later at the Institución Libre de Enseñanza. 

* Report by Karla Ingleton Darocas. Hons. B. A.  (KarlaDarocas.com)

UNDERSTAND & APPRECIATE - SOROLLA - tba

SOROLLA: The Artist, the Humanist, the Scientist

THE MASTER

Joaquín Sorolla (1863 – 1923) was Spain's premiere impressionist artist.

A master painter from Valencia, Sorolla won many artistic  prizes and was adored the world over. In his youth, he was idealistic and like a modern pop star, his powerful paintings served to bring a social conscious to the fine arts world and beyond.

Sorolla paintings are built upon scientific knowledge and based on natural phenomena and their properties and relations. Thus, information derived from sensory experience, interpreted through reason and logic, forms the exclusive source of all certain knowledge.

Sorolla's positivism held that valid knowledge (certitude or truth) was found only in empirical evidence and this 19th century discovery caught the imagination of entire younger generation liberating their eyes from the Church and traditional society.

Sorolla learned to take advantage of this scientific revolution and incorporate it into his colour palette.

The sea was often the protagonist in his paintings and before his could put paint onto canvas, Sorolla had to ask himself question like, "What color is the water? Why do we see it? How is it painted?"

Light is the key to everything and Sorolla knew it. He would experiment with a bottle of water and a little milk to simulate, on a small scale, the behavior of sunlight in the Earth's atmosphere. Like a scientist, he was determined to understand why the sun's rays turned the sky blue in broad daylight or orange during sunset.

Today, we know via science that colour depends on the inclination with which the sun rays pass through the atmosphere. When Sorolla took a lamp and his bottle with water and milk and entered the light directly, the mixture looked bluish. If the bulb was placed on one of the sides, the tone changes to red.

- intro by Karla Darocas. Hons. B.A.

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REVIEWS 

"I really enjoy the in depth view about the life and times of the artist Sorolla. All aspects of this presentation from his life and times to the information about Spanish history around each of the times of a particular period of his artwork was fascinating. But more importantly is how much knowledge Karla passes on to her 'students' . The presentations are really fun and the time goes too fast!!! I always recommend her lectures, her knowledge and enthusiasm."
* Janis Turner


"I learned about a painter that I had no knowledge of, from his formative years right through to his death, through the styles and painters that influenced him as his work developed. The paintings were the star of the show. Very inspiring work, especially his use and rendering of light. Beautiful. I enjoyed Karla's informality and organisation and I would recommend her to friend."
* Debra Cazalet, Pego


"I had seen some of the work of Sorolla before and was so delighted to have attended your very interesting lecture on this great Spanish painter. His connection with Javea was of particular interest and you gave us a true illustration of his unusual technique and skill."
* Lorna Ainsworth, Javea



"Karla has a great knowledge of both techniques and cultural history. Sorolla is of great interest to me because I am Javea resident and so I have a local Javea connection."
* Lorna O’Connor, Javea


"It was another fabulous lecture Karla...we learnt so much about Sorolla and his work through your inimitable and very accessible style of lecture. I can’t wait to see more of his paintings and also look forward to hearing more from you in the future on other artists...thank you... "
* Gladys Cummings


"Thank you for your very interesting talk at the recent Anglo Spanish Assoc. meeting on Sorolla The presentation was very informative and it was a great pleasure to have had the opportunity to see such a wide range of his work about which I knew nothing. I wish I'd found a seat nearer the front !
* John G. Deacon, Jávea


"Wow and again wow! What a wonderfully interesting talk on Sorolla you gave to the Anglo Spanish Association yesterday evening. Many of us struggle to understand the subtleties of the development of an artist. What you gave us was a lucid, and well illustrated, talk on the progress of his abilities and career. For example I especially remember him being the first to use a white background. I look forward to hearing more of your talks, lectures and tuitions."
* Keith Hyde, Javea


"Karla'a expertise on Sorolla's life and work is both extensive and fascinating."
* David Decker, Javea

SOROLLA VISITS TOLEDO TO PAINT AND HOLIDAY IN 1906

For those who travel to Toledo, these historical photographs may surprise you by their stark landscapes in contrast to the tourist torrent that we know Toledo to be today. For those of you who adventured with me on the Art Lovers Trip 2018 to Toledo, these photos will be of greater interest.

In 1906, the 43 years old Sorolla was at the height of his career. He had just sold most of his 500 works, oils and drawings, at a spring exhibition in the Gallery of Georges Petit in Paris. He celebrated by spending a few weeks in the flashy tourist resort of Biarritz, of course painting landscapes, so different from those of the Mediterranean. At the end of this summer, he was heading back to his residence in Madrid but decided to jaunt over to the once grand old city of Toledo, then neglected as the capital due to the rise of Madrid city.

This decision came from his close relationship with friend and associate Aureliano de Beruete with whom he shared a fondness, even a love for Toledo .

Several letters between the two of them suggested that Sollora could come to Toledo to assist his friend with the much needed actions being taken to recognise the works of El Greco and the inauguration of the El Greco house-museum.

Sorolla arrived in Toledo on October 21, at first alone, and days later joined by his wife Clotilde and their children.

Their hotel of choice was the extraordinary first class hotel Gran Hotel Castilla, now the General Treasury of Social Security. This was the hotel to rub shoulders with illustrious and wealthy visitors, bourgeois, dealers in search of artistic heritage, and nobles such as Beruete himself.

During his stay in Toledo, he produced twelve canvases. The family returned to their home in Madrid on November 4.

SOROLLA EXHIBIT SHOWCASES SUBLIME AND POETIC EARTHY AESTHETIC

On our Spain Lifestyle Art Lovers Trip to Toledo 2018, we were so very lucky to be able to witness some rare and remarkable paintings by our favourite Valencian master impressionist painter of light, namely Joaquín Sorolla.

We were at the Santa Cruz museum admiring all of the artefacts, expressive and religious fine arts, especially by the famous Mannerist icon El Greco and low and behold, a sign pointed to an upper gallery stating that an exhibition by Sorolla called "Tierra Adentro" (Inland Earth) was being featured; this way said the arrow! 

One of my students had spotted the exhibition first and was extremely excited when confronting me on the very fact that upstairs there was 68 works by Sorolla. "You are going to freak out," explained my student.

"El arcoiris" - El Pardo 1907 - (c) Sorolla Museum