Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida (Spanish, 1863-1923)
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Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida (Spanish, 1863-1923)

Asturias, Faenando on the beach (Asturias, Faenando en la playa)

Details
Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida (Spanish, 1863-1923)
Asturias, Faenando on the beach (Asturias, Faenando en la playa)
signed 'J Sorolla B' (lower right)
oil on board
3¼ x 4 5/8 in. (8.3 x 11.8 cm.)
Painted in 1903.
Provenance
Anonymous sale, Sotheby's, New York, 24 May 1988, lot 112.
Literature
Anon., Eight Essays on Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida, The Hispanic Society of America, New York, 1909, no. 235.
Exhibited
New York, Hispanic Society of America, Paintings by Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida, 1909, No. 235 (as Asturias).
Boston, The Copley Society of Boston, Paintings by Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida, no. 123.
Buffalo, Buffalo Fine Arts Academy, Paintings by Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida, no. 123.
Special notice
VAT rate of 5% is payable on hammer price plus buyer's premium.

Lot Essay

Sorolla here depicts the comings and goings on the beach at Asturias in anticipation of an approaching storm. The hurried actions of the people on the shore (dragging their boats in, collecting oars and gathering up children) contrasts with the inactivity of the figures in the foreground, curiously observing the frantic activity below them. Sorolla also creates dissonance between the colourful costumes of the figures and the dark brooding greys, blues and purples of the horizon.

The spontaneity of execution that the artist's brushwork suggests belies his careful vantage point. Sorolla's position behind the group in the foreground creates a controlled displacement of figures across the picture plane. The dominant figures in the foreground are cleverly balanced by the curve of the shore, as well as the diminishing group of figures on the shore to their left.

The authenticity of this work has kindly been confirmed by Blanca Pons Sorolla.

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