Sorolla: Small is Beautiful

"Beach at Valencia"
5.25 x 10.5 inches, oil on wood panel
J. Sorolla, 1898

I have been reading the catalog from the Sorolla exhibit that opened in Dallas a few months ago. I was especially thrilled to find the chapter entitled "Looking Is Painting: Jottings, Splashes, and Color Notes of Joaquin Sorolla", by Maria Lopez Fernandez. I posted earlier about my admiration of Sorolla's small paintings. They are often called "apuntes", meaning "notes" or "jottings" in Spanish. My new reading has given me even more reason to be inspired by these wonderful little paintings. The most compelling concept is that the truthfulness and vigor of these small format paintings often eclipses that of the large format masterworks. In other words, small can be grand!

""The Beach, Valencia (Fisherwives)"
3.5 x 4.75 inches, Oil on cardboard
J. Sorolla, 1908

The apuntes are quite small oil paintings--usually less than 8 x 12 inches. They were typically painted in less than an hour. Since the brief painting session did not allow time for the artist to over-think, or to hesitate, or to re-work, the resulting paintings were said to reflect his true and unedited temperament. Some would even say that they are a glimpse into his soul. These tiny works reveal the "prima idea", or first artistic impulse of the painter.  

"A Sketch (Garden)"
7.125 x 9.5 inches, Oil on canvas mounted on cardboard
J. Sorolla, 1909

Many of Sorolla's apuntes were painted to explore the effect of changing light and color. Often they were done for the pure pleasure of painting. Sorolla never seemed to stop jotting down his color notes. In fact, he was often seen on the beach, working on his portable sketch box, searching and observing "with the eyes of a seafarer or an explorer". He was not happy if he was not painting, and he sometimes painted up to four studies a day. So it's no wonder that he left us almost 2,000 of these apuntes. They show such spontaneity and freshness!

"William E. B. Starkweather Fishing, Javea"
9.5 x 9.5 inches, Oil on composition board
J. Sorolla, 1905

In Sorolla's time, the small sketches of great artists were just starting to be considered works of art, standing on their own. Even though the large scale paintings were the ones that brought in the prestige and the money, Sorolla exhibited his small apuntes in major exhibitions, right alongside his large format canvases. Here's an example from the Art Institute of Chicago in 1911. I love the vertical columns of the small pieces by the doors.

For Sorolla fans, the exhibit "Sorolla and America" opens May 30 at the San Diego Museum of Art. It's not too late to see these works while they are assembled here in the US...