Joaquín Sorolla
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The Spanish painter Joaquín Sorolla loved depicting people, water, and landscape under the bright sunlight of Spain. In the summer of 1919, after completing the murals for the Hispanic Society, Sorolla traveled first to Valencia and then to Pollensa in Mallorca. In the small resort town Cala de San Vicente he once again immersed himself in his fascination with light, creating multiple versions of this landscape featuring the Serra del Cavall Bernat mountain in the background. In this particular work, the central figure (seen from behind) is the artist’s wife Clotilde, poised on her heels atop the rocks, holding up her dress with her right hand while grasping her hat in her left. As in many of his compositions, the figure serves primarily as a vehicle for Sorolla’s true focus—the interplay of light. Here, against the backdrop of the setting sun, the water becomes a shimmering surface of golden reflections. Although the painting may remain unfinished, the simplified forms hint at Sorolla’s growing inclination toward a more synthetic style, characterized by broad fields of color.
P.S. Sorolla had a unique ability to show how light shapes the way we see the world—in shimmering water, sun-drenched beaches, or simple moments of daily life. Here's Joaquín Sorolla in 10 amazing paintings!
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