The Arts Society to bring Spanish sunshine to Bishop’s Stortford with talk by Gail Turner on artist Joaquín Sorolla

The Arts Society of Bishop’s Stortford is inviting guests to “banish the gloom of January” with a talk about the “Spanish Painter of Sunlight”.

Member Mick Fitch said: “Following the November 2024 lecture of the Arts Society Bishop’s Stortford, when Jo Banham asked us to decide whether wallpapers were really decorative art…we resume our lecture programme on January 14.

“Maggie Simons has arranged for Gail Turner to talk to us about Joaquín Sorolla (1863-1923), the ‘Spanish Painter of Sunlight’.

“He was a highly successful artist in his lifetime but, outside Spain and the United States, is now largely forgotten.

“His delightful paintings of fishermen and children at the seaside and his landscapes are full of sunlight, warmth and optimism.”

Born in Valencia in 1863, he was studying drawing by 11, painting at the Academy in Valencia in his late teens, and soon exhibiting in Madrid.

He was summoned to the White House to paint United States President William Taft and became the most famous Spanish artist in the world until he was eclipsed by Pablo Picasso.

His Impressionist style, capturing Spanish sunlight on water and captivating beach scenes, drew comparison with his contemporaries Claude Monet and John Singer Sargent.

The Arts Society Bishop’s Stortford, founded in 1976, meets at South Mill Arts on the second Tuesday of the month, with coffee from 10am. The lecture starts at 10.40am. Visitors are welcome to attend for a suggested £7 donation.

To find out more see info@tasbs.org.uk.