For the first time in Germany the Kunsthalle in Munich is presenting a comprehensive retrospective by the Spanish artist, Joaquín Sorolla (1863–1923).
Exhibition organizers have done a wonderful job of creating a special Spanish atmosphere of happening, with tapas, jamon, and cocktails served in the exhibition lobby.
SPAIN’S MASTER OF LIGHT
Like no other, Joaquin Sorolla(1863-1923) was able to capture the Spanish light on canvas. His sun-drenched works left a profound impression, even on contemporaries such as Claude Monet. Sorolla is considered the most important Spanish artist of the turn of the century. First and foremost, his masterly depiction of the sea incited much praise, his rendition of light and the sparkling reflections on the water’s surface, as in the scenes of children playing and bathing on the beach, convey a true Mediterranean summer experience. This first comprehensive retrospective in Germany presents 120 works that cover the artist’s entire career, from his early social realist paintings to those shaped by Impressionism, right through to his late pictures that combine various influences in his own distinctive way. Spanish audiences adore him to this day: when the Prado in Madrid organised a major Sorolla retrospective in 2009, it attracted a record number of visitors. This exhibition in the Kunsthalle offers a unique opportunity to discover “Spain’s Master of Light”.