Sorolla Writ Large

Yes, that's me pictured above. Proof positive that the Sorolla murals at the Hispanic Society  of America are larger than life! I was recently in New York, and visited this hidden treasure of a museum. 

Readers know that I am a huge fan of Joaquin Sorolla, so it is no surprise that this museum was a top priority on my trip. I had read about Sorolla's painting cycle, "Vision of Spain", and seen photographs, but nothing prepared me for the real thing. The first shock was the staggering scale of these works. The canvases are about 12 feet tall, and extend a total of almost 227 feet, covering the entire (huge) room. Walking into the space, there is a veritable explosion of color and light, impossible to capture in photos. 

Despite the mammoth size of these paintings, Sorolla painted all but one of them en plein air, traveling to the provinces of Spain to work on location. Amazing! You can see one of the paintings, "Galicia", in process on the right of the photo above. I cannot even imagine working this large on location. Note the wooden stairs to Sorolla's right--he must have needed these to reach the top of the canvas.  Here is the painting today, as installed at the Hispanic Society:

On location, Sorolla also used models dressed in traditional local costumes. His contract required him to return the costumes to the Hispanic Society--I wonder if they are ever on display?

I was astounded at the way the paintings worked at so many different levels. Each panel contained portraits as well as landscapes; intimate moments as well as sweeping vistas. Some passages were worked in great detail, others less so. The way Sorolla rendered whites was amazing and gorgeous. I wish I could find a photo that did justice to the brilliant sailor's uniforms above. And the paint application showed such joy! Just seeing those loose, gestural brushstrokes made me want to grab a brush and start swinging some paint around.

These paintings were commissioned in 1911, and were painted by Sorolla between 1913 and 1919. They represent the different regions of Sorolla's beloved homeland. The cycle was a monumental undertaking, and one of the last of Sorolla's life. The year after finishing them, Sorolla suffered a stroke, and he died in 1923. Sadly, he never realized his dream of seeing the paintings installed in New York. But on a brighter note, the paintings were sent to Spain and exhibited there between 2007 and 2010. They drew more than two million visitors, and broke attendance records at every venue. I think that Sorolla's heart would be full to know that his tribute to Spain was so well received by the people whose homeland he so grandly depicted.