Today I’d like to share with you the story of one of my heroes, Joaquin Sorolla.
Along my career, I’ve had quite a few artists who’ve influenced my work and who I consider my heroes. Joaquin Sorolla is a very special one for me because his style and technique took my attention at the moment that my art was transitioning from realism into a more painterly approach.
I’ve always been fascinated by the French and American Impressionists, like Monet, Renoir, Berthe Morisot, Mary Cassatt and have dedicated great part of my life studying the Impressionists’ work and technique.
But when I discovered Sorolla’s work, it was like love at first sight. I felt so inspired by his art, colours and brushwork and that made me want to study his work further.
Even though Sorolla lived during the Impressionist era, his style had little in common with the French Impressionists. His style was denominated as Valencian Luminism, a late-Impressionism or neo-Impressionism style and it was characterised by the use of large colour patches (broad-brush category) and light effects.
The basis of Sorolla's outstanding technique was the drawing skills and the ability to manipulate colour and value to create beauty and poetry into his painting through his loose brushwork.
The Tuna Catch - by Joaquin Sorolla
The White Boat - by Sorolla
After the Bath - by Sorolla
He was equally skilled at capturing both the tonal and colour essence of a subject. He dedicated his life to chasing the effects created by the sun over people, sparkling ocean and places of his beloved Spain. He’s been such an inspiration to students and professional painters all over the world.
If you would like to learn more about Sorolla’s work and his technique, Click here to find out how to enrol!
