Joaquín Sorolla

Book excerpt: A painter of vast pieces in his early days - works intended for salons and national exhibitions - Joaquin Sorolla (Valencia, 1863-1923) very soon developed a style of outdoor painting of his own which, though not connected stylistically with the Barbizon School, nevertheless pursued the same postulates, as a result of which he came to be known as a Spanish Impressionist painter. He began to devote himself entirely to this practice in 1900, painting landscapes, views of cities, studies of nature, seascapes and garden scenes in which he demonstrated his tremendous skill in capturing the effects of light. Joaquin Sorolla is unquestionably an essential book for anyone interested in the Spanish Impressionists, and the most complete work of reference on this artist from Valencia. It includes an insightful and in-depth essay by Blanca Pons-Sorolla and some 300 reproductions of his most important pieces.