.jpg?w=1)
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.
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.