Joaquín Sorolla, Niños en la playa, 1916

Image here via Wikimedia Commons at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Joaqu%C3%ADn_Sorolla,_Ni%C3%B1os_en_la_playa,_1916._Sotheby%27s..jpg

Joaquín Sorolla was once world-famous. His paintings appeared in all the most prestigious exhibitions, and rich men and women flocked to his studio.

His technique was Impressionist – a style which by the turn of the nineteenth century had finally become not only accepted but fashionable (vide: the careers of contemporaries John Singer Sargent and Anders Zorn). But Sorolla embraced social realism, with an empathy seldom seen since the days of Courbet and Millais. His depictions of fishermen and peasants and the sufferings of the poor and disabled can only be seen as a searing indictment of the inequality of society. But he was also a master of the portrayal of sheer sun-drenched leisure and pleasure.

As the temperature dips, and this summer’s heatwaves become a distant memory, you may find yourself in need of some Sorolla sunshine!

RJW F2630 Online (via Zoom)

A 5-hour short course, delivered via 2 x 2½-hour sessions on consecutive Wednesdays (Wednesday 23 & Wednesday 30 September).

£40 (individual registration); £72 (for two people sharing one screen).