So Long, Sorolla!

Those who want to visit the exhibition "Joaquín Sorolla Bastida (1863-1923): The works of the Museum of Havana on the centenary of his death", which brings together a significant set of pieces by the great Spanish painter in the Cuban Art building, may do so until this weekend. Afterwards, some of the pieces will return to the warehouses and the most representative ones will be exhibited again in the Spanish art ward, in the universal art building.

But this exhibition, curated by Manuel Crespo Larrazábal, main specialist of the Museum's Spanish exhibition, offers a privileged view of Sorolla's extraordinary contributions to the art of the transition between the 19th and 20th centuries... and beyond Spain, we are talking about an artist with universal projection. So it would be a good idea to visit it.

Cuba has the privilege of having one of the largest and most valuable collections of Sorolla's pictorial creation outside Spain. Walking through this exhibition you can see several stages of a perfectly identifiable work. For many, Sorolla is the painter of light, and his recreation of the iridescence of coastlines and fields captured the spirit of a landscape that is much more than geography.

This Wednesday, the Museum organized a guided tour of the exhibition, attended by art students and the general public. And there, an approach was provided to the restoration processes of two pieces by the Valencian painter, The Girl with the Grapes and Gitana.

The young restorers Ernesto Pérez del Río and Anabel Suárez Segura explained the singularities of the preservation work of these canvasses, which was carried out in compliance with strict protocols.

Havana is one of the great places for Sorolla's art in the world. The National Museum of Fine Arts is the privileged space to get closer to that heritage.

Translated by Amilkal Labañino / CubaSí Translation Staff