Joaquìn Sorolla

Joaquìn Sorolla is one of the most important Spanish impressionist painters. He trained in Valencia and Madrid and, after a Roman experience, which brought him closer to classical and Renaissance art, he stayed in Paris, where he was influenced by Impressionist painting. Returning to his homeland, he receives great appreciation for his painting production that deals with themes of a social nature, with scenes of worker or peasant life, interpreted with the lessons of the French Impressionists. A Mediterranean light pervades the large painting Sewing the Sail, exhibited at the 1905 Biennale in Venice, where it arrives preceded by wide notoriety and repeated international successes. Costing 11,000 lire, it is one of the highest price purchases made by the Municipality of Venice for Ca' Pesaro in those first years of building of the collection. Sewing the Sail is part of a cycle of large-scale works, dedicated to social and religious themes, conceived by Sorolla to be presented at international exhibitions. It portrays the life of the fishermen of the Grao, the port of Valencia, and in particular of the wives, intent on repairing a sail in a patio surrounded by plants. The space is bathed in light, also thanks to the opening of the door at the back, which allows a glimpse of the landscape in the background.