We attended the opening lecture and exhibit for “Sorolla and the Sea” at the Norton Museum in West Palm Beach last week. Drawn almost exclusively from artworks owned by the Hispanic Society Museum and Library in New York, the exhibit contains works that cannot be seen elsewhere. The Hispanic Society, founded in 1904, was the brainchild of Archer Milton Huntingdon, a U.S. philanthropist and noted supporter of Hispanic art and literature, including Spanish, Portuguese, and Latin American works. More on Huntington and the Hispanic Society here: https://hispanicsociety.org/about-us/history/.
Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida 1863-1923, an artist largely unknown to Americans, was born in Valencia and became one of Spain’s most famous and beloved artists. Dave and I made our second pilgrimage to his Madrid home and studio this summer and again came away impressed with his masterful, impressionistic portraits and landscapes. The Norton exhibit also did not disappoint.
The exhibit begins with the large format “Beaching the Boat”. Painted in 1903, the painting depicts cattle hauling a fishing boat onto the shore after a long day spent at sea. In the image, no less than five bovines, two cattlemen, and two crew work to bring the relatively small craft safely ashore. A prevalent theme in the artist’s work, fishing and the lives of fisherman, served both to memorialize a classic Valencian industry and to contextualize the lives of fishing families as working people. In addition to showcasing Sorolla’s mastery of light, color, and motion, the painting also served as a gentle reminder to consumers of ocean delicacies that the life of a fisherman was hard indeed and that complaints about the high price of fish were not welcome in the fishing communities of Valencia.
Beaching the Boat (1903)
My favorite piece was “Señora de Sorolla in White” (1902). The image, of Sorolla’s wife Clotilde García del Castillo, shows Clotilde facing the observer, her book in hand. Her chair faces to the side, and she has clearing been interrupted from her reading, yet faces the observer patiently. Her half smile says “Okay, you’ve got my attention, now what?” Her diaphanous ruffled gray blouse and white skirt highlight Sorolla’s skill with color and light as he imbues these quiet colors with stunning richness.
Orphaned at the age of two during a cholera epidemic, Sorolla placed inordinate value on the family he formed with Clotilde and their three children. The four were frequent protagonists in the artist’s work.
Señora de Sorolla (1902)
In the self-portrait below, Sorolla, at age 46, gazes at the observer straight-on, neither smiling nor frowning, in what today we might call his “resting face”. The wall behind him is completely unadorned, adding emphasis to the main figure. The quick, thick brushwork in the painting contrasts sharply with the fineness of the brushwork on Clotilde’s clothes, highlighting the artist’s facility with both styles.
Portrait of the Artist (1909)
Louis Comfort Tiffany was a great fan of Sorolla, having purchased four of the artist’s works at the 1909 Hispanic Society show. When Sorolla returned to America in 1911, Tiffany commissioned a portrait of himself. In the image below, Tiffany is seated in his garden at Laurelton Hall, with his dog, “Funny” alongside.
Louis Comfort Tiffany (1911)
The image below is notable for the absence of people or animals. The artist allows the setting and the table with cloth speak for themselves, inviting the observer to join the meal that is soon to start or gaze with regret at the scene of a delightful lunch alfresco that he has missed.
The Path in the Orange Grove, Alcira (1903)
The final images below are of scenes that Sorolla repeated over and over during the course his career and reflect the pleasure he obtained from frequent visits to the Valencian coast with his family.
The Norton Museum of Art exhibit “Sorolla and the Sea” runs from November 22, 2024 to April 13, 2025. Buy tickets here: https://norton.ticketapp.org/portal/product/17/calendar.
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