It was love at first sight when I discovered the paintings of Joaquin Sorolla (1863-1923). Known as “the painter of light,” his seascapes and beach scenes are drenched in a warm, buttery light, and swim with dazzling swirls of color.
They evoke a dynamic sense of playfulness, as if capturing fleeting moments of the here and now, brief snapshots frozen in time.
They reveal a deep love of nature and the simple pleasures of life. Sorolla was a family man and many of his paintings feature children at play, mothers with flowing skirts, young women with veils and parasols.
As I enter each painting and let it wash over me, all that luscious light and sensuous movement thrills me, and I feel bathed in bliss
I couldn’t help sharing some of my favorites with you. Enjoy!
Deborah J. Brasket 
So gorgeous! Thank you for sharing the absolutely luscious light.
I’m not surprised you love these paintings, too, Normandie. Your love of family, the sea and sailing. He brings it all together.
Wow! That pink sheen on the last one and my goodness, the light streaming in! I’m glad you shared!
I’m glad I shared the nude too. At first I didn’t think I should, it doesn’t quite “flow” with the rest of my selections. But I couldn’t resist. The way the light sheens across her body and spills on the pink satin! How does he do this? I’m in awe.
Love his work and what a gorgeous selection you have shared with us today Barbara! Thank you! 🙂
You’re welcome, Terrill. You know I was looking closely at his brush strokes, and they reminded me a lot of you work, so loose and flowing. I read that he was criticized for the lack of detail in his work, and I see what they mean. And yet everything you need is there in the work. To add more would be to take away from that spontaneous vibrancy, the flow, the sparkle. In a way, the light is his subject in each of these, his focus, and that’s where his “detail” goes, as is appropriate.
I couldn’t agree more Deborah. And the truth is that light and shadow is often my primary subject as well with the relationship between the elements in the landscape providing the bones to the exploration.
I like that, “adding bones to the exploration” and looking at the relationship between the elements. I need to think more about that when I paint.
OMG these are stunning. How did I never see these before? I had to look him up to see where he was from. Thank you!
I know! I’m surprised I hadn’t heard of him and his works until recently. Apparently he was considered Spain’s greatest living artist in his time and received much acclaim abroad as well. But his naturalistic style of painting fell out of favor eventually, and he was left behind, as far as the major art world was concerned. I believe he is making a “comeback” now.
oh my, these are amazing, thanks so much for sharing!
You are welcome. I’m glad you enjoyed them.
Wow these are looking very real.
Yes, Sorolla is an amazing painter!
Seeing these paintings made me want to bowdlerise RL Stevenson’s words – the world is so full of glorious things…like some of your other commenters I hadn’t heard of this wonderful painter and I can see why you wold describe these paintings as luscious light… apart from the light, I loved the femininity of the women he paints, so many of them in white… like everyone else I was rivetted by the sheen of the satin in the nude picture, which reminded me of the textures in some of Gainsborough’s beautiful portraits… and what a glorious carefree sense of life and joy in each painting…lovely, lovely, thank you, Deborah
Yes, I can’t help being filled with a sense of joy when I view these paintings. You can tell he was a man who loved women, and the feminine form, in all the right ways. His naked forms are sensuous rather than sensual, if that makes sense. I’m glad you liked them and came here to share your thoughts.
Ah, the light and the movement and beautiful bodies. Thank you.
Yes, indeed. Thank you for coming here and commenting, Elaine.
Thanks for these – many of which I’ve not seem before. His house is in Madrid and is a gallery for his work, much of it is as it was when he lived there. On oasis of a beautiful villa house and garden in the high rise of Madrid! Worth a visit.
I’d love to see his home and gallery in Madrid! What a treat that would be.
I cannot tell you how much I agree with you on Sorolla’s paintings. Thank you for sharing little art stories about him. Cheers 🙂
His work is an inspiration! Thank you for the follow, Violeta.