Next Thursday, August 10, marks a century since Valencia’s most universal painter, Joaquín Sorolla. He died in Cercedilla, in the Sierra de Guadarrama near Madrid. Throughout 2023, numerous exhibitions and events celebrated the so-called Year of Sorolla. These initiatives highlight his life and prolific career, exploring lesser-known facets from his origins to his mature period.
Sorolla produced more than 4,000 works. He began honing his craft early, studying at craftsmen schools and at the San Carlos Royal Academy of Fine Arts. His decisive stays in Rome, supported by a Valencia City Council scholarship, and later journeys to Paris to study the impressionists and naturalists, shaped his development. Although he sought to internationalize, Sorolla often returned to Valencia, his muse, where the light influences many of his paintings. His wife Clotilde provided steady inspiration, as reflected in the letters he sent her while traveling away from Madrid.
Sorolla was an indefatigable traveler. He explored Europe, Spain, and the United States, achieving recognition in several cities including New York. There he presented his monumental panels Vision of Spain, a commission for the Hispanic Association, which tested his health to the limit and preceded his death in 1923. The following pages examine some pivotal moments through his works.
Critical Moment: The Painter and the Palettes. 1884
Sorolla painted this work at twenty-one to apply for the Diputación de Valencia scholarship in Rome. The historical theme was not common in his Valencian output, yet it was essential for securing a future. The provincial organization gave him his first major opportunity as a young artist. With three thousand pesetas in his pocket, the young painter moved to Rome to embrace a life-changing experience. The piece can be viewed at the Palau de la Generalitat.
The Burial of Jesus. 1887
This painting was a setback for Sorolla. He submitted The Tomb of Christ, oil on canvas measuring 92 by 62 centimeters, to the Madrid National Exhibition and earned a second prize. The award did not fully satisfy him, and he did not hesitate to destroy the work, one of the few religious scenes he produced. Only fragments and earlier efforts survive among his religious pieces.
The Sad Legacy 1899
One of Sorolla’s best-known canvases, The Sad Legacy earned him the Grand Prize at the Paris Universal Exhibition in 1900 and affirmed both his national and international acclaim. He briefly considered naming the piece Children of Pleasure, but a friend advised changing the title. It belongs to the Bancaja Foundation collection.
My Family. 1901
Sorolla frequently traveled within Spain and abroad. Yet surviving correspondence shows he was a devoted family man who cared deeply for his wife Clotilde and their three children, María, little Joaquín, and Elena.
The Boy in the Hat. Jávea 1905
Jávea provided direct inspiration as Sorolla sought the Mediterranean light. The 1905 Jávea period is often seen as the catalyst for his mature style, culminating in works such as The Boy in the Hat, Jávea.
Clotilde in a Gray Suit. 1908
Family mattered deeply to Sorolla, and Clotilde remains the focus of many works despite his constant traveling. More than 2,000 letters document their 35-year marriage. Sorolla wrote intimate words to her, underscoring their deep bond and mutual devotion.
Walk by the Sea. 1909
This painting captures Sorolla at his purest: his wife with an umbrella strolling along the Valencia coast, accompanied by their daughter María. Created after his fourth international exhibition in the United States, the work embodies his luminous coastal scenes.
Children on the Beach. 1910
What defines Sorolla in the public imagination are seaside paintings and children at play on the Mediterranean shore. Boys on the Beach stands as a prime example and now resides in the Prado Museum.
Vision of Spain. 1913-1919
In London, Sorolla met American philanthropist Archer Milton Huntington, who helped arrange exhibitions in New York. The response in the United States was so strong that Huntington’s Hispanic Society of America organized fourteen regional panels under the project Vision of Spain between 1913 and 1919. The undertaking took a toll on Sorolla’s health, but its impact on his international stature was undeniable.
Portrait of Mabel Rick. 1920
This portrait is among his most beloved studies. In the summer of 1920, shortly after finishing Vision of Spain, Sorolla faced a hemiplegic episode while painting the piece. The caregiver and her husband were in the garden of the artist’s home, accompanied by the writer Ramón Pérez de Ayala. Three years later, she passed away, preventing further painting for Sorolla.
Bath Time. 1904
Sorolla’s enduring popularity extended to the market for his nautical and costume works. The painting Bath Time, which fetched significant sums at auction, exemplifies the high esteem in which his work is held. The sale price reached 5.3 million euros, a record for Sorolla at the time.