Joaquín Sorolla, the most universal Valencian painter

Are you in love with Joaquín Sorolla's paintings? Would you like to know more about this brilliant painter? Come discover much more about him with Hispania, Spanish school.

If you are Valencian or are enjoying a wonderful stay in Valencia, you surely know that it is the city of the painter Joaquin Sorolla.

In this article, we want to tell you some information about this incredible painter so that you can get much closer to Valencian culture.

Joaquín Sorolla was a very prolific painter who began when he was only 8 years old, at which time he entered the Academy of Fine Arts of San Carlos in Valencia.

In his 50 years of work he painted no more and no less than 5,000 paintings, that is, he was a man who lived for and for the great art of painting.

Joaquín Sorolla lived in Rome from 1884 to 1889, where he painted some paintings with historical themes, but it was not until 1894, on his trip to Paris, when his true adventure began because there he discovered impressionism.

His painting undergoes a revolution, he abandons everything before and begins to let himself be carried away by the tones of the Mediterranean, his native place.

In his paintings, we find human figures where the transparencies, light and colors of the landscape intensify the scene.

He was such a famous painter that he traveled to many parts of the world such as the United States, where he sold 500 paintings and organized exhibitions attended by millions of people.

If you are in Valencia and you want to walk where Joaquín Sorolla walked, I am going to give you some instructions that will make you go crazy:

Joaquín Sorolla's house: If you go to Mantas Street, you will find at number 8 the house where the painter was born. Isn't it fantastic?

La Lonja de la Seda: if you approach the Lonja de la Seda de Valencia, you will find the stairs that appear in his painting “The Palleter's Scream”. You will be able to see in the front row the places and the environment that inspired Sorolla.

The painter's churches: You can visit the Church of Santa Catalina, where he was baptized or the Church of San Martín where he married his beloved Clotilde García.

The School of Artisans of Valencia: Walking along Calle de las Barcas, we reach the area known as “Pintor Sorolla” and there is the School of Craftsmen where the young painter trained. Currently, this school has moved to Avenida del Reino in Valencia and has a work and several sketches by Joaquín Sorolla.

The Museum of Fine Arts of Valencia: In this museum there are more than 50 paintings by Joaquín Sorolla, making it a must-see for any of his true admirers.

If you want to visit this museum accompanied by an expert guide who will explain everything you need to know about the painter and his paintings, do not hesitate to sign up for the visit organized Hispania, Spanish school, you will come out an art expert.

Did you know that Joaquín Sorolla was a very romantic man?

When Sorolla was 15 years old he met Clotilde García Castillo, who would be his wife until the end of her days. They were a couple who were very much in love and could not be separated for even a moment, so, to be able to resist during the painter's days of travel, they wrote each other a daily letter telling each other everything that had happened to them and all the love they felt for each other and, in addition, Sorolla sent Clotilde a daily bouquet of flowers.

Currently, a total of 1,174 letters are preserved, collected in two books called “Epistolaries of Joaquín Sorolla: correspondence with Clotilde García del Castillo.”

If you want to know more information about Joaquín Sorolla and many other important artists from Valencia, do not hesitate to come to Hispania, Spanish school, where some interesting and fun classes and activities that will allow you to turn your stay in Valencia into an unforgettable experience.

Article written by Rita Rodríguez Varela for Hispania, Spanish school.