Well, nothing like a lovely day at the beach, and here Joaquín Sorolla (1863-1923), the Spanish Master of Light, as proclaimed by the National Gallery of London in its 2019 exhibition of the artist’s work, makes an elegant early 20th century fashion statement as well. The two women, Sorolla’s wife and his daughter, walk so lightly on the sands that they leave no footprints. Visions they are indeed as they pass over the sands, leaning gently into the breeze that elegantly lifts the diaphranous veils of their outfits. They seem to be on their way to passing outside of the picture frame as they continue their stroll.
That breeze is further indicated by the brush strokes that show the incoming waters from the sea. A slight diagonal indicates the ladies’ progress and that is matched by the white line of sea foam running diagonally across the top of the painting. The action of the stroll is captured by this use of horizontal diagonals, and gently represented also by the vertical diagonal lines of the two women’s bodies. The movement is elegant; the sea is calm; the breeze is light, and the sun shines upon it all with delight. The bright white garments with their pale lavender and blue shadows echo the colors of the sea, while the daughter’s hat echoes the colors of the sand – a perfect harmony. Interestingly, in the shadow of the daughter is what could be a face in the sand, perhaps Sorolla is looking at these two beloved members of his family and thus also enjoying the stroll on the beach. (More on Sorolla’s shadow and reflection tricks later.)
Joaquín Sorolla, seen here in a 1909 self-portrait, was orphaned at the age of two, but was cared for by an aunt and uncle. The aunt in particular encouraged his artistic skills. He studied in Madrid, then went off to Rome, and finally in 1885 to Paris where he was influenced by the trend toward impressionism. His own work in fact is referred to as Spanish Impressionism. Upon his return to his native Valencia in 1888, he married his beloved Clothilde, started a family, and launched his grand plans for worldwide fame and fortune.
In the 1890s, the artist directed his work toward international exhibitions and world fairs, for which he did extraordinarily large works which capitalized on his ability to express the luminosity of the sunlit seacoast that bordered Valencia. This was done intentionally to attract global attention to his work. His grand plan to attain this worldwide fame and fortune came to fruition while on a trip to London in 1908, where he met Arthur Huntington, a descendant of Collis Huntington, a railroad baron. Arthur Huntington had founded the Hispanic Society of America in New York City and invited Sorolla to exhibit there in 1909. Sorolla sold 195 paintings and garnered 25 private commissions from that exhibition. As well, Huntington commissioned Sorolla to fill the walls of the building housing the Hispanic Society of America with paintings of Spanish life. Sorolla spent from 1910 to 1920 traveling Spain to capture its life and traditions for this series of huge paintings that filled the walls almost as a gigantic panoramic mural.
The way that Sorolla used paint has become of as much interest as the subject matter represented, which was always about Spain. His work is known for the use of thick paint, broad brush strokes, light effects, and good drawing skills, all of which produced what became a type of Spanish Impressionism known as Valencian Luminism. In the paintings above done in the early 20th century, one can see the perfection of his techniques in creating luminous canvases. The beautiful pastels of the fisherwomen’s dresses and their bright white head scarves bring them forward in the painting. The reprise of light colors brings out the fullness of the sails in the background and unifies the painting.
As a Spaniard, Sorolla was also much influenced by the great Spanish painters who came before him, first and foremost, Diego Velazquez. Velazquez was the master of black, an important color in the Spanish wardrobe, and he used it effectively in the chiaroscuro techniques associated with Baroque art. Sorolla’s early paintings often used dark settings in which the lighter figures would stand out. We can see Sorolla’s handling of figures in a dimly lit setting in the painting below.
However, beyond balancing light and dark in a masterful way, Sorolla also took on Velazquez’ claim to be able to do wonderful portraits in about two hours, as according to Velazquez, it was necessary to capture the essence of the person quickly to do it justice. One of Velazquez’ most famous portraits was of Juan de Pareja, a painting so powerful that by some accounts it led to de Pareja’s emancipation. (See Of Art and Wine post “Diego Velazquez, Juan de Pareja …” March 10, 2020.) Sorolla also became a master at capturing not just the likeness but also something of the soul of those whose portraits he did. However, Sorolla took on Velazquez in other areas, adding his own special touch. Let’s look at the two nude figures below.
This is the only nude painting that we have by Diego Velazquez. It represents a theme common for a while in Venetian painting, that of a beautiful woman (Venus) gazing at her reflection in a mirror. The flesh tones are quite natural and the fabrics of the bed are handled to show their satiny elegance. Now look at Sorolla’s nude.
Sorolla’s wife, Clothilde, posed for this painting, but the artist discreetly gave it another name, Gypsy. Sorolla’s adherence to luminosity shows through in the representation of the fabric, but also it shows in the treatment of the model’s skin which takes on the effects of the violet shadows in the fabric.
Another master of Spanish painting is Francisco Goya, who painted one of the other famous nudes in Spanish painting, The Naked Maja. Some art historians see Sorolla as the link between Goya and Picasso. (For that discussion along with other information about Sorolla, click on this link to a video from the National Gallery of London youtube.com.) Sorolla honored Goya in a specific way with the portrait of his own daughter, Maria, in a black mantilla and a white skirt.
Here Sorolla paints María in a pose similar to the famous paintings by Francisco Goya of the Duchess of Alba. Sorolla’s daughter wears a mantilla that is almost as elaborate as that of the duchess. Her delicate slipper appears gracefully from under her ruffled skirt, and she holds a fan in her hand, as was appropriate for any señorita. Interestingly, Sorolla pays homage to both of Goya’s portraits of the duchess by combining into one painting the pose and the reference to the two different poses of duchess María Caetana, the Black Duchess in which she is dressed all in black and the White Duchess in which she wears a white dress.
I mentioned before that Sorolla liked to play tricks with shadow and reflection. One of his most dramatic pieces is Reflections in a Fountain (1908). It seems that his visit to Granada and the Alhambra palace in 1908 restored his faith in a country which had become in his opinion increasingly “vulgar and empty” (see link below to article in El Pais). When looking at this painting, at first it is disorienting, though ever so lovely. Then we adjust our vision to realize that we are looking at a mirror image, a reflection in water of a structure that we do not actually see.
For another look at how Sorolla could play with the viewer’s consciousness and offer up surprises is the painting below. Again, at first glance one is disoriented. It takes a moment or two to decipher what is being shown. We see rocks and water, but there is a strange division in the painting, with one part light and the other dark. What is going on here?
Then we notice the patch of yellow on the left side and a less well-defined one that shimmers in the water. They are the arches of an old bridge, and this painting is The Shadow of the Alcantara Bridge, Toledo (1906). These visual tricks make the viewer stop to wonder. Admittedly one is helped by reading the title, but even with that, it may take a moment to orient one’s view. It is wonderful to see how the artist accomplishes this representation of an observed reality. Sorolla’s skill and delight in playing with shadow and reflection is what caused me to speculate that in the painting of the stroll on the beach, there is in his daughter’s shadow a face in the sand. As a painter myself, I also would say that one does not leave distracting images unless one intends to leave them.
While Sorolla focused on Spain and on some of the great Spanish masters, and we know that he was influenced also by Impressionism, he had a friendly rivalry with some of his contemporaries like Whistler and Sargent. One can make a direct comparison with Sargent if one looks at the three pictures below.
Sorolla did not live to see his great paintings hung in the Hispanic Society of America in New York. The artist died in 1923 following a stroke in 1920 just after finishing the series of paintings for Huntington. Unfortunately, by the time the paintings were hung in 1926, his work was considered passé. Not unlike Monet who suffered the same fate until the 1950s began a revival of his work, Sorolla is having a resurgence of interest, with modern painters who are fascinated with his use of paint, and how he could represent the effects of light. The results of this newly found interest will only help move painting in new directions with Sorolla’s work as a sound stepping stone.
The paintings of Sorolla, Goya, and Velazquez are all in public domain. References for information in this post are listed in linked items that appear throughout the article.
Marjorie Vernelle is an artist, writer, college professor, and traveler. For more see the Pages at ofartandwine.com or her author page at amazon.com and her art at Vernelle Art Boutique vernellestudio.com
Bobal, the Unsung Grape of Valencian Wine.
Beautiful as is this cluster of blue-violet grapes, this grape was the cause of Valencia’s wine growing region having the reputation of being rather lackluster in terms of its wine. Merlot, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon, the giants of wine production, never took too well to the soils of Valencia Province, which is hot and has little rain, though a nice sea breeze passes through often. So how did Bobal get to be the third most commonly planted grape in Spain?
Well, there was this little aphid that liked to eat the roots of grape vines, and it (phylloxera) took a distinct liking to the precious grape vines of France in 1877. Horrors! What were the wine merchants ever to do to make up the shortage caused by that pesky insect? Eyes turned to Spain where the aphid had not yet struck, and there near enough to France was Valencia and those fields of this grape which could be added into red wine to cover the deficit in other varieties. Et voilà! Valencia enters the bulk wine business.
With a thick skin and the ability to resist drought, this grape makes deep red wine that is high in tannins, low in acidity, high in alcohol, and full of rich fruit flavors. While the bulk wine aspect of Bobal has been a mainstay, the current question is how to change Bobal into a source for the making of fine wines. One direction has been the production of organic wines with 100% Bobal grapes. As well, the grapes are high in resveratrol, which is a natural antioxident. What could be better for an organic wine? The Tarantas brand has developed both a Tarantas Rosé and a Tarantas Sparkling Rosé made from organically grown Bobal grapes. Their wines are often sold at Whole Foods, so look for them there. For more go to naturalmerchants.com.
Some winemakers like Victor de la Serna, came to Manchuela,, an area near Valencia, because he married into a family from there. He took to experimenting with the local Bobal grape, combining it with Syrah grapes and Monastrell to produce a Syrah wine that produces a rather exotic taste of “fruits and flowers.” (See nytimes.com). Another winemaker in the area, who is known as Mr. Ponce, talks about the challenge of making a fine wine and refers to the Bobal as “unique and mystical.” He makes an exceptional rosé of Bobal grapes called Las Cañadas.
One can’t help but associate Valencia with the wonders of the sea that all come together in paella. This dish is rich, rich, rich, and a great treat. What better to serve with it than a fine rosé made from Bobal grapes. However, food choices are not limited to seafood. Orange chicken is a nice match, as are casseroles and even barbeque. And do not be afraid to drink this rich red wine in summer. HuffPost recently featured this article, “Spain’s Bobal Wines for Summer,” huffpost.com.
Nothing like a sugar-free dessert like this cheese cake with fruit topping. Once you have this dessert, so restrained on calories, you can be bad with a sip of Fondillon, a dessert wine made from the late harvest of grapes including Bobal.
So in the heat of summer when travel is limited, I suggest that you take a virtual trip to Valencia via Sorolla’s paintings (click here for a video montage of Sorolla’s work youtube.com), have a wonderful paella, and a glass of Valencia’s own Bobal wine from one of the sources above. Should you want to explore further a field, just click on Cellars Wine Club under Pages in this blog to see the options for all the types of clubs available. There is something for every level of wine expertise and budget, free shipping, and a “no bad bottle” return policy. Or just click here cellarswineclub.com.
Note: I am an associate of Cellars Wine Club and may earn from qualifying purchases.
Coming Soon: Caravaggio’s Chiaroscuro, and Lazio, the Roman Wine Region.
Yes, this was painted by the bad boy of dark and light, himself, Michelangelo Merisi, known as Caravaggio. His furious life and furious painting career spilled out all over Rome and might have even been fueled by some of the wines from the Roman region.