Hispanic Society

We went to the Hispanic Society yesterday, Sunday. Quite impressive, and, gladly, not at all crowded. Hamilton Heights is not a popular destination for many; they don't know what they're missing (let's keep it that way).

Most impressive was the art work of Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida. Aside from three canvases in the main room, there is a series in its own large room.


The 14 paintings that make up Sorolla's ambitious and overwhelming "Visions of Spain" (1913-1919), which were originally commissioned by Mr. Huntington for the Hispanic Society, are newly installed in their own large gallery after returning from a tour of six Spanish museums. Both a tour de force and a tour of Spain, the paintings are especially persuasive thanks to extensive conservation work that has restored their brilliance. The sailors, fishermen and fish in the post-Impressionist "Ayamonte" (1919) are all in tones of white, yet poles apart from those of the gauchos and cattle in "Andalucía, The Round-Up" (1914)—reflecting the variations in light in different parts of Spain. It's easy to be put-off by clichéd images of local color and ceremonies, folk costumes and dances, but Sorolla manages to draw you into these settings, conveying an authenticity that also speaks to a moment in time, because the scenes were developed from the artist's travel sketches.

The paintings are very large, and it is only because the room is so large that one can get enough perspective to see them properly. Ayamonte is one of them. 

http://museosorolla.mcu.es/