Joaquín Sorolla: Master of Light
One hundred years ago, if you asked an American or European art lover who the most important Modern Spanish artist was, the answer would have been Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida (Spanish, 1863 – 1923). This centennial year of the artist’s death was declared the Year of Sorolla in Spain and many exhibitions have celebrated Sorolla’s works. In the United States, the Meadows Museum at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas is exhibiting works by Sorolla until January 7, 2024. The exhibition features works from American collections and is called “Spanish Light,” a fitting title for any exhibition of the artist’s work. Sorolla said
"I hate darkness. Claude Monet once said that painting in general did not have light enough in it. I agree with him. We painters, however, can never reproduce sunlight as it really is. I can only approach the truth of it."
Joaquín Sorolla was born in Valencia, Spain, on the east coast of Spain. His home region was a constant source of inspiration for the artist; the beaches, fishing boats, and traditions of Valencia appear in many of his paintings. At the age of 18, Sorolla went to Madrid where he studied the paintings exhibited in the Prado Museum, especially the works of his great Spanish predecessor Diego Velazquez. Velazquez’ bold painterly approach is apparent throughout Sorolla’s career. In 1881, he was awarded a four year grant to study in Rome after which he visited Paris for a short period. In his early career, he was most influenced by Realist artists like Jules Bastien-Lepage. In the late 19th century, his focus was on large history paintings, that is, scenes of historical, religious, and moral themes. These works were exhibited at the Salons in Paris and Madrid and at the international expositions that were popular in Europe and the United States at the time. His works received medals and other awards at several of these high profile exhibitions.
In the first decades of the 20th century, Sorolla was widely celebrated, given membership in academies in Paris, Lisbon, Valencia and nominated as a Knight of the Legion of Honor in Paris. In this period, Sorolla’s works became brighter and more painterly, in part due to his friendship with artists John Singer Sargent and Anders Zorn. Sargent in turn began to paint landscapes influenced by Sorolla’s work. In 1906, five hundred of Sorolla’s works were exhibited at the important Galleries Georges Petit in Paris. Petit had been a prominent advocate of the Impressionists and the affinities of Sorolla’s works with the light-filled works of the Impressionists must have appealed to Petit. The critical and financial success of this show led to exhibitions in England and Germany, and then in 1909, in the United States. Sorolla’s first American exhibition was a big hit; of over 350 works, over half sold. As the artist’s profile in the United States rose steadily, Sorolla was even commissioned to paint President Taft’s portrait in the White House. Two years later a second exhibition of Sorolla’s work, this time in Saint Louis and Chicago, broadened the artist’s appeal in the United States and led to another commission, to create a series of large murals for the Hispanic Society of America. The subject of the series is the various regions of Spain. Originally titled “The Provinces of Spain,” the murals are known today as “Vision of Spain” and are still on view at the Society's museum in New York City. The 14 murals are almost twelve feet tall and cover a combined 200 feet of wall space. This project consumed nearly all of Sorolla’s time from 1913 to 1919. At the end, he was exhausted and the year after the paintings were completed, the artist suffered a catastrophic stroke. Paralyzed and unable to paint, Sorolla died in 1923. Shortly after, his family donated his Madrid house and artworks to the Spanish state. The house opened as Museo Sorolla in 1932.
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