Tower and Town, July 2020

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Arts Review

For the days when the sun isn’t shining...

There are countless museums and art galleries that have digitalised their enormous collections. The V&A, The National Gallery, The MET, and The Fashion and Textile Museum are to name but a few. During lockdown, I’ve spent many an afternoon browsing their sites, gazing in awe and wonderment at the beautiful things that have been produced and created by artists, designers, makers and photographers as well as just ordinary people, over hundreds of years.

The other day, I thought back to the Sorolla exhibition ‘Spanish Master of Light’ that I saw at The National Gallery last year with my family. I remembered how stunningly beautiful each of his paintings were, and it made me think how impactful just one artist can be. If there is a painter whose work will brighten your day, for me, it has to be Sorolla. There are some exhibition highlights on TNG website. The painting that always conjures up nostalgic memories of hot summer days is ‘A Rose Bush at Sorolla’s House’.

Everything about it oozes that hot, fiery Spanish summer heat. You can almost feel the sun reflecting off the white walls, as you squint to notice the cool shadows from the overhanging roses. Questions immediately suggest themselves: was it painted while everyone was having a siesta; or in the height of the day with children running around and families shouting and gesticulating at one another from across the street?

I just love it, as I do all of Sorolla’s work. It’s epitomises happiness and light.

Gabriella Venus