Sorolla - Maestro of Color
If you’ve heard any words tumbling from my lips in the past 6 weeks, you’ve probably heard me mention my visit to the Sorolla Vision of Spain Gallery at the Hispanic Society Museum and Library in New York City in August. It did not disappoint. Fourteen larger-than-life paintings fill the walls with farmers, fishermen, cows, bulls, tuna, fruit, and townsfolk. And color. Color which I imagine is a little hint of how heaven will look - radiant, reflected light splashing up onto skirts, blouses, arms, and faces.
Close-up of Galicia - The Cattle Fair
While a remarkable draftsman, Sorolla’s particular brilliance was his use of color in both light and shadow. Whites are expressed in pinks, oranges, greys and blues. Shadows are full of greens, purples and touches of cyan. They are a visual feast. Of course he was not the only artist to do this. All of the impressionists sought to express the beauty of color and light, but Sorolla just did it so well.
Look at the whites in light, or reflected light…
Close-up of The Tuna Catch
Close-up of The Palm Grove
And here in shadow…
Close-ups of Catalonia: The Fish Market
And here (below), the use of color in the shadows on the ground, and the beautiful variations and depth in the green skirts…
Close-up of Aragon: The Jota
Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida lived 1863-1923. He was a famous impressionist in Spain during his lifetime. In 1911, the Hispanic Society Museum and Library in NYC comissioned fourteen nearly 12-ft tall paintings, showcasing the beauty of the various provinces of Spain. Sorolla worked tirelessly on these masterpieces from 1911-1919. It’s difficult to convey the scale of these works on this little blog post. The Bread Festival, shown in the video below, is the largest painting at 12x45 feet.
I’m 5’3” (160cm). The Tuna Catch is 11.4×15.9 feet! It’s over twice my height.
A few other favorite details.
If you have the opportunity to visit this museum in NYC, I highly recommend it. Check the hours before you plan your trip - their open hours are limited.
“I could not paint at all if I had to paint slowly. Every effect is so transient, it must be rapidly painted.”
“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.”
-attributed to Joaquín Sorolla