A Closer Look: Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida's “Pepilla and her Daughter”
Recent conservation work has breathed new life into this compelling life-sized painting of a Romani mother and daughter.
Pepilla and Her Daughter (post conservation) (1910) by Joaquín Sorolla y BastidaThe J. Paul Getty Museum
In Pepilla and her Daughter, by Spanish artist Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida, a Romani woman lovingly wraps her arm around her daughter, while both gaze directly at the viewer.
Sorolla (1863–1923) was born in Valencia and studied art in Madrid, Rome, and Paris. He traveled extensively throughout Spain, portraying its people, architecture, and landscapes with unmatched luminosity and painterly bravura.
Sorolla’s masterful handling of light and color and his empathetic portrayals of Spanish life garnered international recognition. His work received critical acclaim and attracted several influential patrons in the United States.
His success abroad reflected his skill, as well as a global fascination with Spain and Spanish culture.
Getty and Sorolla
A decade after Sorolla's death, J. Paul Getty found himself equally entranced by the artist. He acquired several Sorolla paintings in 1933, including five now held in the Getty Museum collection.
Lanai Room, Getty Ranch House, Malibu (circa 1955) by UnknownThe J. Paul Getty Museum
These paintings, cherished by Getty for their "wonderful portrayal of sunlight," were hung prominently in his home in Malibu as can be seen in this photograph from about 1955.
The Wounded Foot
Many Sorolla paintings in the Getty Museum showcase his remarkable handling of sunlight. The sun bounces off the huddled forms of two children in The Wounded Foot, painted primarily in shades of pink and blue.
This scene epitomizes Sorolla's most well-known paintings: luminous beach scenes populated with loosely painted figures in vibrant colors and bold brush strokes.
Court of the Dances
The Court of the Dances, Alcázar, Sevilla offers a glimpse of a tranquil Seville garden. Sorolla uses a deeper and more expansive palette of densely layered colors to create the illusion of dappled sunlight.
Painting Pepilla
In addition to beach scenes, landscapes, and architectural paintings, Sorolla had a keen eye for capturing everyday Spanish life and its people.
He would frequently paint en plein air, setting up canvases on streets and outside houses.
Pepilla and Her Daughter (post conservation) (1910) by Joaquín Sorolla y BastidaThe J. Paul Getty Museum
Sorolla likely painted Pepilla and her Daughter in Seville while traveling through Andalusia with his wife and children, completing paintings to sell to foreign collectors.
This painting is an exemplary showcase of Sorolla's painting process and technique, revealing his ability to handle light and color beyond the depiction of sunlight.
Moreover, it is a grounded, relatively naturalistic portrayal of a Romani woman and her child, members of a historically marginalized group.
Romani People in Spain
Although the identity of Pepilla remains unknown, we know that she and her daughter were Romani. The Romani, a minority group who endured persecution since their arrival in Spain in the 15th century, were a popular subject in paintings of Spanish life.
However, Romani people were frequently depicted in a highly exoticized manner, as fortune tellers or dancers, serving as cliched representations of Spain.
Sorolla—who frequently portrayed Romani subjects in his paintings and drawings—defies this trend in this poignant depiction of motherhood.
Connecting the two figures to their local traditions and cultural heritage, in the top left corner of the canvas is a decorative horse bridle. This striking detail holds significance as it provides an anecdotal clue about when Sorolla painted the picture.
With its large and vibrant form contrasting with the simple background, similar bridles adorned horses for Andalusian festivals and religious celebrations.
Pepilla and Her Daughter Pepilla and Her Daughter (1910) by Joaquín Sorolla y BastidaThe J. Paul Getty Museum
Uncovering Pepilla through Conservation
Before conservation, the surface of the painting was yellow due to a degraded varnish—which can be seen in this image—that had most likely been applied during a previous restoration. The Getty conservator cleaned the painting and removed the old varnish.
Pepilla and Her Daughter (post conservation) (1910) by Joaquín Sorolla y BastidaThe J. Paul Getty Museum
Sorolla generally did not varnish his works—as he liked the play of glossy paint and matte, exposed canvas—so the conservator applied a new varnish in such a way as to recapture the painting's original vibrant color and interplay between glossy and matte surfaces.
Sorolla’s Painting Methods
To begin, Sorolla used long brushes to quickly set the composition in a brown wash. These exceptionally long brushes, measuring up to 120 cm (nearly 4 feet), enabled him to step back and assess the entire composition while still applying precise brushstrokes.
Layers, Color, and Volume
After establishing the composition, Sorolla laid down thicker layers of paint, creating textured impasto elements with the lively movement of his brush. Here, Sorolla juxtaposes white, grey, and pink tones with rich, earthy browns and unexpected accents of blue and green.
Pepilla and Her Daughter (post conservation) (1910) by Joaquín Sorolla y BastidaThe J. Paul Getty Museum
These contrasts, alongside compositional effects such as Pepilla's voluminous skirt, allow the figures to stand out from the sparse room.
Sorolla loosely incorporated multiple pigments on his brush to create a swirling effect through short, crisscrossing strokes of combined color to showcase depth, movement, and light. He often used this technique to capture reflections or shadows on moving surfaces. Here, these brushstrokes convey the sense of intricate, patterned fabric and voluptuous form.
Drips
There are many areas in the painting where Sorolla has intentionally created drips of paint diluted with turpentine, a feature in many of his works. For example, in Pepilla's skirt, thick white brushstrokes have been cut through with dripping paint.
Faces and Heads
Our eyes are drawn to the faces of Pepilla and her daughter, who look out at the viewer. In portraits, Sorolla would typically paint faces first and in person to capture the individuality of his sitter. He would then complete the rest of the painting in the studio.
While Sorolla would have quickly and confidently captured the composition of their faces, he would have then carefully added smaller touches of paint, sensitively detailing his sitters’ features and expressions.
Pepilla's eyes are deeper in shadow, while her daughter's appear bright and inquisitive.
Pepilla and Her Daughter (X-ray) (1910)The J. Paul Getty Museum
X-Ray Revelations
Infrared analysis shows that Sorolla changed the position of Pepilla's arm and hand.
Originally, the hand of the mother was outstretched with her little finger extended—perhaps holding something like a fan.
Pepilla's ring is composed of a thick, final accent of paint, which highlights her hand.
Sorolla rarely made compositional changes; when he did, these changes likely meant a great deal to his artistic intentions. His movement of Pepilla's hand intensifies the connection between mother and daughter, giving the viewer a more profound sense of a caring relationship.
Pepilla and Her Daughter (post conservation) (1910) by Joaquín Sorolla y BastidaThe J. Paul Getty Museum
Through this small change, Sorolla quietly challenged negative preconceptions viewers may have had about Romani culture.
Visitors at the Getty Museum (2023)The J. Paul Getty Museum
At a time when many paintings of Romani people perpetuated stereotypes, Sorolla demonstrated a greater sensitivity and a desire to humanize Pepilla and her daughter.
When the painting was purchased in 1933, its title included the commonplace but derogatory term “gypsy” to describe Pepilla.
This title, no longer used today due to its racist connotations, has been changed to more sensitively reflect the painting’s subjects, and to respect the Romani community.
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