As powerful as he is ephemeral, this extraordinary interpreter of the Belle Epoque, Joaquín Sorolla, presents himself to the public in the rooms of Palazzo Reale in Milan, taking us on a journey through Spanish landscapes, untouched beaches, and seascapes where children are endlessly at play. Most of the works on display come from Madrid, from the Sorolla Museum set in the painter’s private home, a splendid Art Nouveau villa in the centre of the city. Sorolla is the painter of lead white, one of the most widely used pigments in the history of art, a powerful, textural white lending light and depth to every detail, every garment. Through his works Sorolla tells us the story of his life, capturing his own and his family’s everyday existence.
His artistic language is simple, though voiced with majestic colours and textural brushstrokes. Inaugurated on 25 February, the exhibition is on until 26 June. The project sees the collaboration of museum institutions such as the Museo de Bellas Artes in Valencia, the Hispanic Society in New York, the Galleria Internazionale d’Arte Moderna di Ca’ Pesaro in Venice, the Musei Civici in Udine and the Musei di Nervi Raccolte Frugone.