The Valencian painter and graphic artist Joaquin Sorolla Y Bastida was an important figure in modern Spanish painting of the late 19th century. He was associated with contemporary Realism and produced various landscapes, genre-painting, historical works, and portraits. Joaquin Sorolla Y Bastida was an important figure in modern Spanish painting. The original nature of Sorolla's image, as well as the feeling of dazzling sunlight that he gave to the dark atmosphere of the 19th century, are the two aspects of the work that are most remembered today. His work, which is preeminently characterized by vibrant color and decisive brushwork, has established him as the preeminent Impressionist painter working in Spain. Even though he is best known for his paintings done en Plein air, mainly those depicting scenes at the beach and seaside, he also created great portraits, landscapes, and historical pieces. Sorolla was a master of illustration in addition to his easel painting and executed a series of notable mural paintings for The Hispanic Society of America. The following images are among his most well-known: Another Marguerite (1892, Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri); They Still Say That Fish is Expensive! (1894, Museo Sorolla); Portrait of Dr. Simarro at the Microscope (1897, Luis Simarro Legacy Trust); Sad Inheritance (1899, Caja de Ahorros de Valencia; Promenade by the Sea (1909, Museo Sorolla); and The Bath (1913, Museo Sorolla (1909, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY).

Youth

Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida was the first kid born to a trader named Joaquin and his wife, Concepcion Bastida. Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida was the oldest child. Concha, his sister, was born exactly one year after he was. Both children were left without parents after their parents passed away in August of 1865, possibly due to cholera. After that, their maternal aunt and uncle cared for them whenever needed.

At fourteen, he began his formal art education in the town where he was born. After that, he studied art with various instructors, including Cayetano Capuz and Salustiano Asenjo. He went to Madrid when he was eighteen years old and spent a great deal of time there studying the master paintings in the Prado Museum. At twenty-two, Sorolla received a grant that enabled him to study painting in Rome, Italy, for four years. While there, he was welcomed by and found stability in the example of F. Pradilla, the director of the Spanish Academy in Rome. After completing his military service, Sorolla went on to obtain the grant. His first experience with contemporary painting came during a long trip to Paris in 1885. Particularly formative for him were visits to the exhibits of Jules Bastien-Lepage and Adolf von Menzel. When he returned to Rome, he continued his education under the tutelage of Jose Benlliure, Emilio Sala, and Jose Villegas.

In 1888, Sorolla went back to Valencia to wed Clotilde Garcia del Castillo. The couple had first met in 1879 while Sorolla was working in the studio that belonged to Clotilde's father. They would have three children together by the time 1895 rolled around: Maria, who was born in 1890; Joaquin, who was born in 1892; and Elena, who was born in 1895. They relocated to Madrid in 1890, and for the next ten years, most of Sorolla's artistic efforts were directed toward producing large canvases depicting orientalist, mythological, historical, and social themes. These canvases were displayed in salons and international exhibitions in Madrid, Paris, Venice, Munich, Berlin, and Chicago.

His first striking success was achieved with Another Marguerite (1892), awarded a gold medal at the National Exhibition in Madrid and first at the Chicago International Exhibition, where it was acquired and subsequently donated to the Washington University Museum in St. Louis, Missouri. His first success was a striking one. Another Marguerite (1892) won a gold medal at the National Exhibition in Madrid and then first prize at the Chicago International Exhibition. Soon after, he achieved widespread notoriety and established himself as the undisputed leader of the modern Spanish school of painting. His painting "The Return from Fishing" (1894) received widespread acclaim at the Paris Salon, which was eventually purchased by the state for display at the Musee du Luxembourg. It was an indication of the route his mature production would take.

Sad Inheritance

An even more significant juncture in Sorolla's career was marked by the painting and presentation of Sad Inheritance (1899), a vast canvas meticulously finished for public examination. This event occurred in the year 1899. The topic of the painting was a representation of physically challenged youngsters enjoying a day at the beach in Valencia while being supervised by a monk. This painting won Sorolla his highest official recognition, the Grand Prix, a medal of honor at the Universal Exhibition held in Paris in 1900, and the award of distinction at the National Exhibition in 1901.

Sorolla's career as a salon artist ended with the completion of this painting, and he never returned to a subject with such overt social conscience again. During the same period, a series of preparatory oil sketches for Sad Inheritance were painted with the utmost brilliance and bravura. These sketches forecasted a developing interest in shimmering light and a medium that was handled skillfully. Sorolla thought highly enough of these sketches to give two as presents to American artists; one went to John Singer Sargent, while the other went to William Merritt Chase. Both of these artists were John Singer Sargent and William Merritt Chase.

Maturity

The exhibition that he had at the Paris Universal Exposition in the year 1900 earned him a medal of honor and a nomination as a Knight of the Legion of Honor. Over the subsequent few years, Sorolla was honored to become a member of the Fine Art Academies in Paris, Lisbon, and Valencia, as well as a Favourite Son of Valencia.

The special exhibition of his paintings, which included figure themes, landscapes, and portraits, was held at the Galeries Georges Petit in Paris in 1906. This exhibition overshadowed all his previous triumphs and led to his designation as an Officer in the Legion of Honor. The show featured close to five hundred works, including early paintings and more current sun-drenched beach scenes, landscapes, and portraits; this level of productivity astounded the critics and was a commercial success. While Sorolla was in England in 1908, he met Archer Milton Huntington. Huntington made Sorolla a member of The Hispanic Society of America in New York City and invited Sorolla to exhibit there in 1909. This happened even though subsequent large-scale exhibitions in Germany and London were met with more restraint. A total of 356 paintings were displayed during the show, of which 195 were purchased. During his stay in the United States, which lasted for five months, Sorolla completed over twenty portraits.

Portraits

Although formal portraiture was not Sorolla's preferred painting genre because it tended to restrict his creative appetites and reflect his lack of interest in his subjects, the acceptance of portrait commissions proved profitable, and the portrayal of his family was irresistible. Even though formal portraiture was not Sorolla's preferred painting genre, his family's image was compelling. Sometimes the influence of Velazquez was the most prominent, such as in the picture "My Family" (1901), which references Las Meninas and groups the painter's wife and children in the foreground with a reflection of the painter working in the background in a mirror. At other times, such as in the portrait of Mrs. Ira Nelson Morris and her children, it was clear that he wanted to compete with his buddy John Singer Sargent (1911). Portrait of Mr. Taft, President of the United States, painted at the White House and suggestive of convivial sessions between the painter and the president, capped a series of portraits produced in the United States in 1909 and commissioned through the Hispanic Society of America. The painting of Mr. Taft, President of the United States, limited the series.

It was safe to assume that the arrival of sunshine would pique his interest, and it was in natural light that he discovered the most successful compositions for his portraits. As a result, not only did his daughter pose standing in a sun-dappled environment for the painting titled "Maria at La Granja" (1907), but also members of the Spanish royal family did so for the painting titled "Portrait of King Alfonso XIII in a Hussar's Uniform" (1907). The American artist stood for the photograph that would become known as Portrait of Mr. Louis Comfort Tiffany (1911) in his Long Island home garden, where he was painting while seated at his easel. The conceit reaches its zenith in the painting "My Wife and Daughters in the Garden," completed in 1910. In this work, the concept of traditional portraiture is replaced by the sheer fluid delight of a painting constructed with thick passages of color, which combines Sorolla's love of his family and sunlight.

The Provinces of Spain

At the beginning of 1911, Sorolla made his second trip to the United States, and while he was there, he displayed 161 new paintings at the Art Institute of Chicago. After meeting Archer M. Huntington in Paris later that year, Sorolla agreed to paint a series of oils depicting life in Spain under the terms of their contract. The canvases, to be put at the Hispanic Society of America, would range in height from 12 to 14 feet, and the overall length would be 227 feet. In total, there would be a total of fourteen huge panels. It was the most important commission of his career and would take up most of Sorolla's time in his final years.

Huntington had envisioned the work depicting the history of Spain. Still, the painter preferred the less specific 'Vision of Spain,' eventually deciding to go with a representation of the regions of the Iberian Peninsula and naming it The Provinces of Spain. Huntington's original idea for the work was to be titled "The Provinces of Spain." Despite the enormous size of the canvases, Sorolla painted all but one of them outdoors, en Plein air. He also traveled to specific locations in order to paint them, including: Navarre, Aragon, Catalonia, Valencia, Elche, Seville, Andalusia, Extremadura, Galicia, Guipuzcoa, Castile, Leon, and Ayamonte. At each location, he painted models posing in local costumes. Each painting was a celebration of the nature and culture of the area, with the pictures depicting crowds of people working and living there. By 1917, he had, in his own words, reached his breaking point. By the middle of the year 1919, he had finished the last panel.

In 1920, as Sorolla was working on a picture in the garden of his home in Madrid, he suffered a stroke. After being bedridden for over three years, he passed away in 1923. 1926 was when the public was first allowed access to the Hispanic Society of America's room dedicated to the Provinces. On the 24th of February in 1911, Jules Lefebvre passed away.

Most paintings Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida did are about People, Portrait, Seascape, Garden, Landscape, Boat, Nude, and other subjects.

Most of the artist's works that can be seen by the public today are now kept in museums like Museo de Bellas Artes de Valencia, Museo Sorolla - Madrid, Hispanic Society of America - New York City, Museo Nacional del Prado, and others.

Famous Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida period artists include Pierre Auguste Renoir (French, 1841 -1919), John Singer Sargent (American, 1856 -1925), Edvard Munch (Norwegian, 1863 -1944), Claude Monet (French, 1840 -1926), Pierre Bonnard (French, 1867 -1947), Henri Lebasque (French, 1865 -1937), Édouard Vuillard (French, 1868 -1940), Mary Vaux Walcott (American, 1860 -1940), Edgar Degas (French, 1834 -1917), Frederick Childe Hassam (American, 1859 -1935), Gustave Loiseau (French, 1865 -1935), Sir John Lavery, R.A. (Irish, 1856 -1941), and others.

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