Joaquín Sorolla (1863-1923), End of the Day, Jávea, 1900, oil on canvas, 88 x 128 cm, Private collection.

Joaquín Sorolla was one of the greatest natural painters of his generation. Prolific and popular, working on a wide range of subjects – genre, portraits and landscapes – his impressionist style marked by luminous colouring and vigorous brushwork earned him a considerable reputation throughout Europe and America.

In End of the Day, Jávea, the deep red shadows on this side of a sun-trapped cove are so expertly rendered that you could almost step into the frame – it is more real and convincing than a photograph. At his best Sorolla evokes tactile existence wonderfully – sun on skin, sea waves lapping on a fisherman’s calves, the sweat of a workday, the dazzle of a gorge in oleander shade with its dust and insects. End of the Day, Jávea shows a carefully selected part of a busy scene, it is easy to imagine what might have been going on in the other directions the artist could have turned his head. DH

For more on the life and work of Joaquín Sorolla, do try and find yourselves a copy of our beautifully illustrated monograph on the artist, Joaquín Sorolla.