Collection: Joaquín Sorolla

Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida (1863–1923) was a Spanish painter born in Valencia. After training at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Carlos and the Escuela de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid, he developed a style marked by plein air technique and natural light. His output, over 2,200 catalogued works, included portraits, landscapes, and large-scale compositions addressing social and historical themes.

Sorolla’s work featured a luminous palette and dynamic brushwork, often depicting sunlight and water with immediacy. His scenes of Valencian beaches, such as "Two Sisters, Valencia" (1909), and coastal landscapes like "Rocks at the Lighthouse, Biarritz" (1906), demonstrated his ability to render atmospheric effects. Though associated with impressionism, his focus on optical realism set him apart from French contemporaries.

Sorolla exhibited in Paris (1906), Berlin (1907), and New York (1909), where his treatment of light influenced early 20th-century painters. His Madrid studio, now the Museo Sorolla, houses his works and archives. His emphasis on luminosity and everyday subjects anticipated later trends in Spanish and Latin American painting.