The Positivism of Sorolla
Joaquín Sorolla (1863 – 1923) was Spain's premiere impressionist artist. A master painter from Valencia, Sorolla won many artistic prizes and was adored the world over. In his youth, he was idealistic and like a modern pop star, his powerful paintings served to bring a social conscious to the fine arts world and beyond.
Sorolla paintings are built upon scientific knowledge and based on natural phenomena and their properties and relations. Thus, information derived from sensory experience, interpreted through reason and logic, forms the exclusive source of all certain knowledge. Sorolla's positivism held that valid knowledge (certitude or truth) was found only in empirical evidence.
Sorolla chose to explored many social, historical, literary and religious themes in his paintings. The popularity of his paintings reached in the salons and international exhibitions in Madrid, Paris, Venice, Munich, Berlin, and Chicago. His greatest legacy is a series of monumental murals that proudly portrait his patriotism to his beloved Spain, which are found at the Hispanic Society building in New York.
What many people do not know is that Sorolla and his family made their summer vacations in Javea. Many of the most intimate paintings by Sorolla's collection of works, explore the pleasures of Javea’s seaside resort.
LECTURE REVIEWS
Dd"I really enjoy the in depth view about the life and times of the artist Sorolla. All aspects of this presentation from his life and times to the information about Spanish history around each of the times of a particular period of his artwork was fascinating. But more importantly to not is how much knowledge Karla passes on to her 'students' . The presentations are really fun and the time goes too fast!!! I always recommend her lectures, her knowledge and enthusiasm."
* Janis Turner
"I learned about a painter that I had no knowledge of, from his formative years right through to his death, through the styles and painters that influenced him as his work developed. The paintings were the star of the show. Very inspiring work, especially his use and rendering of light. Beautiful. I enjoyed Karla's informality and organisation and I would recommend her to friend."
* Debra Cazalet, Pego ***
