Spanish painter Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida grew in popularity among European art circles in the late 1800s and reached a limited audience in America during the early 1900s as well (“Meadows Museum to Present Works by Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida”). Despite selling numerous works to American collectors, Sorolla’s works largely remained in those private collections rather than appearing in museum exhibitions in the United States (“Meadows Museum to Present Works by Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida”). In 2023, the Meadows Museum at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX hosted an exhibition curated by Sorolla’s great-granddaughter, Blanca Pons-Sorolla, focusing on paintings from those private American collections, some of which have never been displayed publicly, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the artist’s death (“Spanish Light: Sorolla in American Collections”).
Among the pieces included in this exhibition is Sorolla’s 1908 oil on canvas Beach of Valencia (Playa de Valencia), depicting groups of people pushing a sailboat out to sea and frolicking in the water (Fig. 1). The piece is at once light and playful, and Sorolla has expertly rendered the sunlight bouncing off the sails of the boat and the water crashing on the shore, conveying a sense of movement and excitement. However, the artist’s color palette is rather subdued, leaning on the darker side than one might imagine when picturing a peaceful day at the beach, which lends an ominous feel to the painting. The piece is stylistically reminiscent of Sorolla’s contemporaries Pierre-August Renoir and Mary Cassatt, but also draws comparison to the works of earlier artists such as Diego Velázquez and Francisco Goya in its darker palette; these influences blend to create a style unique to Sorolla.
Displaying pieces primarily held in private collections offers audiences a new understanding of Spanish painting during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. While Sorolla is not the only talented artist to emerge from Spain at the time, his works are masterly, and his subject matter is traditional and evokes a very specific time in European history. Perhaps further showcasing Sorolla’s talent in American museums will grow a wider appreciation for the artist’s techniques and contributions to art historical narratives, and his legacy can expand beyond the American collectors who retain his works.
Appendix
Fig. 1. Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida. Beach of Valencia (Playa de Valencia). 1908. Oil on canvas. Photo from personal archive of Blanca Pons-Sorolla. In exhibition “Spanish Light: Sorolla in American Collections” at Meadows Museum, Dallas, TX. https://meadowsmuseumdallas.org/exhibitions/sorolla-in-american-collections/#1619653298347-d1130ebd-e56d9e47-62c0
Works Cited
“Meadows Museum to Present Works by Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida as Part of ‘Year of Sorolla’ Celebrations in Spain & America.” Meadows Museum, https://meadowsmuseumdallas.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/20230719_Sorolla_FINAL-ENG-WEB.pdf. Accessed 16 Nov 2024.
“Spanish Light: Sorolla in American Collections.” Meadows Museum, https://meadowsmuseumdallas.org/exhibitions/sorolla-in-american-collections/#1619652341702-ebb1a5cd-ff2d9e47-62c0. Accessed 16 Nov 2024.
Originally written November 2024.
Art with an Opinion 