Joaquin Sorolla was from a poor family, orphaned at the age of two and was bought up by his uncle. He showed his interest in painting at an early age. First attended evening classes and later won a scholarship to study in Rome. He painted Social Realism in his early professional life. He excelled in painting portraits, landscapes and monumental works Spanish cultural life. But it is his dazzling, brilliance seaside and beach paintings that are the hallmark of his works. That earned his title of ‘The Master of Light’. Some described his work as luminous impressionism. Throughout his life he was very closed to his family.

1. Josquin Sorolla
The Master of Light
First created 27 Apr 2019. Version 1.0 - 25 May 2019. Daperro. London.
Running Along the Beach, Valencia. 1908.

2. Childhood
1863 – 1923, aged 60
Joaquin Sorolla was from a poor
family and was orphaned at the
age of two with his sister Concha,
after both of their parents died
from Cholera. It was his uncle who
bought them up.
At fourteen Joaquin started to
attend evening drawing classes. In
1878, he enrolled into art school
and won an scholarship to study
art in Rome.

3. Mars 1881
Sorolla studied the works of the Spanish masters like Velazquez and Goya.
Velazquez’s
Version
Sorolla’s
Version

4. Historic Painting. 1884

5. Studies of the Heads 1885

6. Italian Girl 1886
Sorolla painted this when he was
studying in Rome.

7. Early Social Realism
At this period Sorolla followed social realism. Note how he painted the floor.

8. This is an important painting in Sorolla’s career. It won him a medal of honour in the US. Margarita is a reference to
Goethe’s play Faust in which Margaret (Gretchen) committed infanticide. It is part of his social realism style.
Another Marguerite 1892

9. Packing Raisins 1900

10. All his life Sorolla had
painted Spanish life.
In this painting he painted an
injured young fisherman
being attended by others,
inside the boat. He arranged
the light carefully to
illuminated the interior of
the boat.
The Valencia
Fisherman

11. By this time his painting became increasing brighter and more focused on the life of Valencia fisherman.
Return from Fishing 1894

12. Sewing the Sail. 1896

13. Young Fisherman. 1904

14. Portraits
Sorolla was an accomplished portrait
painter. He painted the high society,
the rich and famous, royalty and
even president. Here is a portrait of
fellow painter Anurellano de Beruete.

15. Clotilde in White. 1902
Time and times again he painted
portrait of his own family in
particular his wife Clotilde.

16. Anureliano de Beruete. 1902

17. King Alfonso XIII 1907.

18. Queen Victoria Eugenia 1907.

19. Maria Painting at El Pardo. 1907.
The American painter John S Sargent was well known portrait painter of his time. Sorolla and Sargent
were friends. On the left is a painting by Sorolla, based on a painting by John S Sargent (right).

20. Maria Painting at El Pardo. 1907.

21. Elena 1909.

22. President Taft 1909.
Sorolla painted this portrait after
his successful exhibition in New
York in 1909. To paint this
portrait, Sorolla lived in the White
House for six days. He established
a good relationship with the
president. The genial nature of
the president came through in
this portrait.

23. Maria 1910.
Sorolla painted his eldest daughter Maria, similar to the Portrait of the Duchesse of Alba by Goya.

24. The Valencia
Seaside
These group of beach and
seaside paintings have
became the hallmark of
Sorolla’s works.
Sorolla developed his
dazzling, brilliance seaside
paintings of clear
transparent sea. Thus
earning him the title the
Master of light.

25. Sad Inheritance 1899
It is this painting that made his name well-known in Europe (7 years after America), a major turning
point in his career. Some suggested these were the children of venereal disease.

26. Second Success 1899
Although Sad Inheritance had gave Sorolla the exposure in Europe,
after the Universal Exposition in Paris in 1900, yet he had never return
to this social theme again. There are not many paintings that deal
with the subject of disabilities, but some 250 years earlier Velazquez
had painted several paintings on disabilities, like the painting of Don
Sebastian de Morra on the right. Velazquez had painted these people
with dignity.
Disable boys in Sorolla’s painting were enjoying their trip to the
seaside, coping with their disabilities. The photo below showed a
swimming trip of the disable boys, in his time.

27. Swimming Javes 1905

28. Horse’s Bath 1909

29. Boys on the Beach 1909

30. Paintings of his
family
Here was his wife Clotilde. He first
met his wife Clotilde in 1879, while
working for her father. He married
her on his return from Rome in 1888.

31. A very Intimate Moment. 1902
A very intimate moment of family life. On earlier version the mother looked away from the baby.

32. Female Nude. 1902

33. Female Nude. 1902
Sorolla painted few female nudes Like the
face of the Rokeby Venus by Velazquez, her
face was hidden. Unlike Velazquez’s nude,
who was looking at herself in the mirror,
Sorolla nude was looking at her wedding
ring. It was later revealed the model was
Sorolla’s his wife Clotilde.
Before Sorolla painted the
‘Female Nude’, he did
travelled to the Rokeby
Park Durham to see the
Velazquez’s nude in 1902.
It is amazing how Sorolla painted the
shinning pink satin linen.
Goya’s Nude Maja.
Satin Linen detail.
Velazquez's Venus.

34. My Children. 1904
Sorolla’s family, he had three children – one boy and two girls.

35. Skipping Rope. 1907
Painted in 1907 at La Granja de San Ildefonso, depicted his children playing. Like a photo, Sorolla had
frozen a moment in time.

36. Strolling along the
Seashore. 1909
Sorolla’s most iconic works,
showing his wife Clotilde and
his eldest daughter Maria,
walking along Valencia’s El
Cabanal beach.
The canvas had caught a
moment of the passing sea
breeze. His wife had took her
off, while his daughter was
struggling with her umbrella
and her hat.

37. Landscape
Sorolla’s landscape paintings are mainly
devoted to Spanish monuments and
Spanish customs.

38. Segovia 1906

39. Avila 1910

40. Smugglers 1919
Painting showing tobacco smugglers picking up tobacco from the coast.

41. The Vision of Spain 1913-19
In 1911 Archer Milton Huntington, founder of the Hispanic Society commissioned Sorolla
to paint a mural for the large hall of the Hispanic Society of America, in New York. It was
a momentous undertakings. Sorolla painted a series of contemporary life in different
regions of Spain. The paintings were completed before the building. The hall was
inaugurated in 1926, three years after the artist’s death.

42. To help him to compose
the mural for the Hispanic
Society of America,
Sorolla travelled to
different regions of Spain
and painted the local
people in their regional
costumes.
Salamanca. 1912

43. Part of the Castilian Mural

44. Part of the Castilian Mural

45. The Catalan Mural

46. The Ayamonte Mural

47. 1863 – born in Valencia, as the oldest child
Timeline
1865 – Orphaned. Both her parent died.
1872 – Educated in art
1881 – Went to Madrid, studied paintings in the Prado
1885 – Left military service. 4 year grant to Study in Rome.
1885 – Paris provided first experience of modern painting
1888 – Return to Valencia and married Clotilde Garcia del Castillo
1879 – Met his future wife Clotilde
1892 – Won an award for Another Margauerite.
1908 – Met Archer Milton Huntington and became a member of
the Hispanic Society of America.
1906 – Exhibition of 500 his works in Paris won many acclaims,
followed by exhibitions in Germany and London
1899 – Painted and exhibition of his Sad Inheritance. Then
exhibited in Paris 1900 then Madrid 1901.
1911 – Visit America for second time. Exhibit works in St Louis and
Chicago. Agreed to 14 murals for the Hispanic Society of America,
NY. A major commission that dominate the later years of his life.
1909 – Exhibited 356 painting and sold 195. First success in
America and spent five months there.
Death of Pedro Velarde
1884
Another
Marguerite
1892
Sad
Inheritance
1899
Vision of Spain. Castilla. 1913.1923 – He died after he had a stoke 3 years earlier.

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Available free for non-commercial and personal use.
The
End
Music – John Williams. Cavatina.

49. Spanish Paintings
Madrid
Madrid