Joaquín Sorolla

Galerie Georges Petit, Paris (acquired from the artist by 1912)
Sale: Reunier & Bailly-Pommery, Paris, 21 October 1991, lot 29
Purchased from the above by the present owner in 1992

Paris, Galerie Georges Petit, Joaquín Sorolla, 1906

Bernardino de Pantorba, La vida y obra de Joaquín Sorolla, Madrid, 1970, n.p., in a photograph of Sorolla's studio
Edmund Peel, The Painter Joaquín Sorolla, London, 1989, p. 21, fig. 7, in a photograph of Sorolla's studio
Blanca Pons-Sorolla, Joaquín Sorolla. Vida y obra, Madrid, 2001, p. 135, in a photograph of Sorolla's studio
Blanca Pons-Sorolla, Joaquín Sorolla, London, 2005, p. 20, in a photograph of Sorolla's studio

The canvas has been relined. Ultraviolet light reveals some signs of retouching notably addressing old frame rubbing at the top left and extreme right edges, and a handful of pinhead-sized spots in the sky. The painting is in very good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The present work is one of a sequence of paintings inspired by Valencia's fishing industry that came to define Sorolla's output during the 1890s. In Barcas en la Playa, Valencia Sorolla contrasts the proud forms of the two boats in the middle-ground and the stark shadows that they cast on the sand below with the scudding clouds and billowing sail beyond.

Focusing his gaze from a low view point on the two vessels' workaday utilitarian hulls, Sorolla's close analysis imbues their hardy forms with a stoic monumentality. The reverence with which he depicts the boats reflects both his own pride in his native Valencia, and the stature he accorded the fishermen and women whose trade was so vital to the city's wellbeing.

The work was painted the same year as his seminal canvas La vuelta de la pesca (Return from Fishing) that was awarded top prize at the Paris Salon of 1895. And other major works of 1894 followed a similar theme, including The Blessing of the Boat, And They Still Say Fish is Expensive and Boat Builders (fig. 1).

What distinguishes the present composition, however, is the pared down forms of the boats. It is one of the most abstracted compostions that he painted on the fishing theme. Unlike so many other works from the same period, there is no human presence and thus no narrative, just the celebration of the vessels' timeless sea-going lines. In so doing, through its classic simplicity, Sorolla links Valencia to the city's antique past.

For an oil study of the present work see: sale, Sotheby's, London, 14 November 2007, lot 156.