José Mongrell Valencia 1870-Barcelona 1937

Acquired by the great-uncle of the present owner from the artist; thence by descent

Original canvas. There are no signs of retouching evident under ultraviolet light and, apart from a few small areas of faint craquelure (only visible on close inspection), the paint surface is overall in good condition with bright colours throughout. Held in a decorative plaster moulded gilt frame.
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In subject matter, displacement of light across the picture surface and the rich impressionistic technique, the present work clearly reflects Mongrell's training in Sorolla's studio. A fellow Valencian, Mongrell shared many of Sorolla's enthusiasms, including the latter's delight in recording everyday life by the sea. Yet in Mongrell's celebration of the sunlit faces in the present work the painter evokes a romantic vision of the daily toil of the fishermen and women of Valencia that was distinctively his own.

Mongrell's ability to condense his subject matter into such a tightly focused and intensely lived-out moment was in part due to his frame of reference. Unlike Sorolla, who travelled widely both within Spain and beyond, Mongrell lived locally and limited his output to Valencian subjects. And from a working class background himself, he had a particular appreciation for the everyday labours of those around him.

Sorolla had a profound influence on many artists of his generation, both within the immediate circle of pupils who worked with him in his studio, and beyond. As José Francés declared 'Sorolla attracted and captivated disciples, dazzling them with his ideology as much with the bright colours of his art' (quoted in Edmund Peel, ed., The Painter Joaquín Sorolla, London, 1989, p. 45). As well as Mongrell, such artists as Cecilio Pla, Enrique Martínez-Cubells, Eliseo Meifrén and Aureliano Beruete were all in some way indebted to Sorolla.

Of all Sorolla's followers José Mongrell is considered the closest to him. Underpinning the brilliant Sorollist light of his canvases is his own distinct form of realism and strong attention to form and composition. As Francés observed: 'José Mongrell has painted the sea, fisherfolk, and the beaches since Sorolla did so. But pay attention, he does so in his own way. There is Mongrellism in Valencian painting as there is Sorollism.' (ibid., p. 47).