Sorolla’s Mediterranean Light Lands in London

The exhibition “Sorolla, Spanish master of light” will be the star of the National Gallery during this season. Among the works that will be exhibited are some of the masterpieces of the Valencian painter.

Paseo por la playa (1909). Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida. At commons.wikimedia.org

Few painters have reflected light like Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida, the Valencian master who captured like no other the essence of the Mediterranean, its people and their social problems. The National Gallery in London pays homage to his artistic career with the exhibition Sorolla, Spanish master of light (Sorolla, el maestro espanol de la Luz), which will open on 18 March 2019. The show brings together a great selection of more than seventy paintings, most of which focus on scenes of life in Valencia and on the relationship of its people with the Mediterranean. Joaquin Sorolla is known for his impressionist canvases, full of life and with a strong gestural component that bases its power on brushwork and color. Although they are luminous and lively paintings, one must not forget that the Valencian artist also maintained an intense social commitment, reflecting in many of his works the harsh living conditions of certain guilds and social strata, such as fishermen and sailors.

 “Children on the Beach” (1910). Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida. At museodeplrado.es

Good examples of these socially-themed works are some of the jewels that will be exhibited in London. One of them, Triste Herencia (Sad Inheritance), has been lent by the Bancaja Foundation of Valencia and shows a friar accompanying a group of children, naked and ill, to take a bath at the beach of El Cabanyal. It is a striking painting in which we can discern an overcoming of impressionism and an approach to expressionism, due to the force of the group composition and the uncompromising reflection of the terrible reality of the children. The show also includes other iconic pieces, such as Children on the Beach or Stroll Along the Seashore, a very famous painting in which Sorolla portrayed his wife and daughter walking along the coast. Among other socially-themed works, the National Gallery in London has also decided to exhibit the celebrated And They Still Say Fish Is Expensive!, in which two fishermen are seen in the hold of a boat tending to a companion, seriously injured during the work. The exhibition Sorolla, Spanish master of light will remain open to the public until 7 July 2019.

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