Joaquín Sorolla

Joaquín Sorolla

Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida was an artist from Valencia, Spain, known as the “Master of Light”, who lived from 1863 to 1923. Sorolla is most known for his plein air Impressionism inspired paintings portraying both the Spanish people and landscapes under the bright sun, though his work is much broader. 

Sorolla’s art education started quite early. He began his first art lessons at just age 9.  By age 14, he was enrolled in an art school in his hometown of Valencia. At 18, Sorolla moved to Madrid to further his education and study the master’s at the Museo del Prado. He just kept on learning, studying first in Rome and then Paris, and worked to expose himself to all different varieties of art movements along the way. 

In 1892 at 29 years of age, Sorolla won a gold medal at the National Exhibition in Madrid bringing him notoriety in the art world. He displayed his work to high praise at the Chicago International Exhibition, the Paris Universal Exposition, and the Paris Salon, furthering his career. At that point, Sorolla was seen as the leader in the modern Spanish art movement.

Sorolla spent some time in the beginning of his career working on more serious paintings of social issues and portrait work. This solidified his place in the art world as one of the new modern artists of Spain. After marrying and having children, his art shifted focus and he devoted more time to paintings that were sought after by collectors. These included paintings that focused on the rural and more domestic side of life. These lighter subject matters also loosened his brush stroke and lightened his palette with more luminosity, allowing more sunlight in.

Sorolla liked to paint the local scenes from his hometown of Valencia in eastern Spain, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and they were very popular with collectors. As he worked on these types of paintings, he became more and more interested in painting the effects of sunlight. In 1909, Sorolla’s reputation got him a commission to paint the portrait of William Howard Taft, the then sitting president of the United States. At that point, his career was solidified, and he enjoyed success for the rest of his life. His work was highly sought after by major collectors, including J. Paul Getty.

Sorolla is mostly known for his sunny seascapes, but his work subject is in fact much broader. In addition to his sunny seascapes, Sorolloa’s repertoire also includes detailed portraits, historical scenes, genre paintings, and some of his works have a much darker palette. Though his work is loosely categorized as impressionist-inspired landscape art, Sorolla’s style is often compared to that of John Singer Sargent, whose style also includes loose soft brushstrokes. In 1920, Sorolla suffered a stroke while painting at his home. This event left him paralyzed for the rest of his life. He died three years later at age 60.

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