JOAQUIN SOROLLA

 Post 208 -by Gautam Shah

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SUNDAY Feature on ART of Architecture

Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida (1863-1923) was a Spanish painter. His forte was painting of portraits, human figures, landscapes and large works on social and historical themes. He studied art in Madrid. Sorolla's efforts in early part of the carrier were focussed on the execution of large canvases of orientalist, mythological, historical, and social subjects. These were used as wall-art in salons and international exhibitions in cities like Madrid, Paris, Venice, Munich, Berlin, and Chicago.

He worked on realistic art but moved to plein air Impressionism. He first employed darker tones of Browns but later began to use white shades and light colours, with impasto paint applied through bold brush strokes. He liked to capture the bright natural light of the South sea coast of Valencia, Spain. His human figures show natural dynamism and facial expressions that match the skills of his portraits.

He painted 14 large murals, for installation at the Hispanic Society of America building in Manhattan, USA. These were 12 to 14 feet in height, and total 227 feet in length. 

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