Yesterday our MT artists trekked across the road to the National Gallery to admire the Sorolla exhibit.
Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida is often praised as the master of painting light, and it's been over a century since his work was last exhibited in London. We were blown away by seeing his work in person, photos of his work online do not do it justice! His use of colour and light to tell stories and express emotion is visceral and awe-inspiring.
Needless to say we all took away something:
1910 | My Wife and Daughters in the Garden
“We spend so much time in front of a computer, it's good to be reminded of how much can be learned by studying the works of the old masters. Next level inspiration, that’s all I can say.”
- Gina Nelson (Lead Artist)
1894 | And They Still Say Fish is Expensive!
“It's hard to comprehend Sorolla's mastery of light. It is just so phenomenal that I rushed home, grabbed my digital brushes and immediately started practising again.”
- Sam Geussens (Concept Artist)
1900 | Madre
“It was awesome seeing Sorolla's work in person, his colours are phenomenal. He's able to capture the atmosphere of a place so masterfully. It's definitely hard to pick a favourite painting, however 'Mother' did leave a lasting impression. It's so disarmingly simple as a composition, you can't help be feel good around it. Great exhibit. 10/10 would Sorolla again.”
- Connor Adams (Senior Concept Artist)
1907 | The Skipping Rope
“You can't tell too much from a screen, but in real life you really get a sense of the texture of the canvas juxtaposed with absolute masterful slabs of paint laden on to it. The sand in the foreground has a very subtle contrast of smooth paint and rough linen. Likewise, as the detail frops towards the background, the roughness of the canvas is allowed to come through more and more, until those trees in the background are just really fast and immediate strokes with a dry brush, almost so that the paint barely hooks itself onto the canvas.”
- Tudor Morris (Concept Artist)
1896 | Sewing the Sail
"Sewing the Sail was my favourite piece of the exhibit. Loved the composition and how the framing of the sail in question in a narrow space led the viewer through the open door and a ship with an empty mast in the distance. Okay, the ship with the empty mast may have just been in my head, pretty sure it was there though!"
- Girish Mekwan (Art Manager)
