Joaquín Sorolla Strolling along the Seashore, 1909, oil on canvas, 803⁄4x783⁄4in (205x200cm). Fundación Museo Sorolla, Madrid. Sorolla's wife and his daughter stroll along Valencia's Cabañal beach. Their elegant white summer dresses billow in the sea breeze. They take up the upper half of the canvas and the sandy beach covers the lower half – conveying the foreground
Combining an impressionist style with a narrative element, daring compositions, strong tonal contrasts, vibrant colours and vigorous brushmarks, the portraits, figures, genre paintings, landscapes and seascapes of the artist Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida (1863–1923) express the dazzling light and atmosphere of Spain. During his lifetime, Sorolla was bestowed with some of the most prestigious international awards, especially for some of his major paintings that focused on social subjects. However, it was his depictions of the people, life, landscapes and traditions of Spain and his perceptive portraits that captured the imagination and made him famous.
The exhibition