Antonio García at the Beach

Painted in Valencia in summer of 1909, this is a portrait of Antonio García Peris, Joaquín Sorolla’s father-in-law and well-known photographer from Valencia who had a strong influence on the artist’s personal and artistic life. The portrait is a tribute to Don Antonio, seen here in an elegant white summer suit, with his stick and straw boater. The completely natural attitude of his subject chosen here is typical of Sorolla. The sitter does not pose and seems unaware that he is being painted; the contre-jour effect and the richness of the whites display Sorolla’s extraordinary capacity for capturing subtle nuances of colour. Existing photos show the artist working on this portrait.