If I had to compose a top five list of my favourite painters, it would be no secret that Joaquin Sorolla would be there. This artist (Valencia 1863 – Madrid 1923) is the flagship of the Spanish Impressionism.
At the moment I am staying in Madrid on family visits. I have enough time to frequent the big museums in the city nearly every day. In most of them I have my fixed route. I know, after all this time, exactly what can be seen where. In the Prado I often go directly to the Velázquez room. My preference is for Velazquez las “Hilanderas” ( The Spinners) or ” La fragua de Vulcano” (Vulcan´s Forge). Not to “Las Meninas“, which is widely praised as his greatest masterpiece. Certainly, it is an intriguing work but I do not like it at all.
Last week, however, to change routine I did not go to Velázquez, but went directly to the Sorolla room. I must have spend at least 45 minutes in front of the painting “Children on the beach”. Do you know the sensation that you cannot separate yourself from an image? There will have been several visitors in the room but it felt as if I was alone with “my” canvas. I left the room without looking at the other works. (I can afford that luxury because I have free entrance.)
In the bookstore I bought the book “Joaquin Sorolla – Técnica Artística“. Once at home I tried to make a small sketch of the painting that I had on my retina. I started reading in my newly purchased book. And despite the sometimes fairly technical treatises I finished in two days. I will often browse it in the coming period and reread parts. Sorolla will fill my mind again.
Today I visited the Thyssen Bornemisza museum. I saw beautiful paintings by Dutch, Italian and French masters. But as an addict, I was looking for the Sorrolla sensation. In vain.
Tomorrow we will go back home, to Chelva. Then I can rehab.
Some more pictures that I took at the Sorolla Museum.
Excellent
Sorolla, the master supreme of the brush stroke and values. I cant live long enough to paint like he did. Very frustrating!