Sorolla y Bastida, Joaquin (Spanish, 1863 – 1923)
Julianna Armour Ferguson, 1919?
Oil on canvas
Gift of Juliana Painter, class of 1947
Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida was a talented Spanish painter whose style was a variant of Impressionism. He began to devote himself entirely to this practice in 1900, painting landscapes, views of cities, studies of nature, seascapes and garden scenes in which he demonstrated his tremendous skill in capturing the effects of light.
In 1932, his artist’s house in Madrid was turned into a museum, now known as the Museo Sorolla. This typical Spanish house from the first half of the 20th Century was his home and workshop for the last 11 years of his life. His family turned over his estate to the Spanish State, which decided to convert it into a museum showcasing his many paintings and personal belongings (sculptures, letters, textile, furniture, etc.) which the painter collected throughout his life.
Sorolla received many commissions from American art patrons between the years 1909 and 1920. Julianna Armour Ferguson is one of the commissioned works. The donor of this painting, Juliana Painter, in fact, is the granddaughter of Julianna Armour Ferguson. The painting was lent to a big show in Madrid called Sorolla and Fashion from 13 February to 27 May 2018, which displayed clothing and furniture related to the portraits in the show.
In these commissioned works, he describes and reveals the “soul” of an elite class, the way they were and, above all, their wish to be recognized as such.
Moreover, Juliana Painter is from a big family and that donated another portrait to SCMA of a portrait of her aunt, which is used to be called Portrait of a Young Girl in White Dress, and the museum decided to call it May Ferguson.
How do you think the elites actually looked like? And what does the “soul” of an elite class mean?
Read more about Joaquin Sorolla here.
Read more about Mrs. Ferguson and her mansion here.
Read more about Sorolla and Fashion here.