One of my favorite museums in Madrid is the one built around the paintings by Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida (1863-1923). His style is soft and composed of a blend of beautiful blues, whites, and earth tones. A large percentage of his works reflect the peasant life of those residing along the sea coast in-and-around Valencia.
His home is a marvel. His paintings and personal effects occupy every room. When you enter you feel at home, in fact at the entrance that most guests would enter the home you find this arched entry with the word "Salve" (meaning "Welcome" in Latin). Sorolla was known for his hospitality.
So let's take a tour of the property and museum. Once you leave the bustling street, you enter a beautiful, walled garden space filled with fountains and sculptures.
Visitors are allowed to take pictures, so I have provided you with a few of my favorites:
"Instantly, Biarritz" (1906)
"Madre" (1895): The paintings is of Sorolla's wife and newborn child
"The Arrival of the Boats" (1905)
"Playa de Valencia" (1908)
"Bajo el toldo, Playa de Zarauz" (1910)
"Pescadoras valencianas" (1915)
"El baño del caballo" (1909)
"El bote blanco, Jávea" (1905)
I also took the liberty of taking a number of interior shots of the home. The first pictures are of his studio and the small bed where he would rest after long hours working.
In an alcove near the bed are many of Sorolla's "bosquejos" (sketches or previews) of his works. They are fascinating and often as beautiful as his full-sized works.
Finally, I could not help but take this picture of the many paintbrushes that he used to create his works. It was just too artistic in-and-of itself.
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