Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida
Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida was a Spanish painter who created a variant style of Impressionism with his brilliant colors and vigorous brushstrokes. Born into a poor family in Valencia, Spain on February 27, 1863, Sorolla was orphaned by the age of two. Showing promise at a young age, he was enrolled in the Academy of San Carlos in Valencia at fifteen. After attending school in both Paris and Rome, he returned to Valencia where he began painting mostly historical and social realist paintings. Later, his style changed to genre paintings and landscapes, which became his most recognized style. He combined Impressionist style with narratives and anecdotal themes using a variant of vibrant colors and severe brushstrokes.
In 1909, Sorolla debuted in a solo exhibition at the Hispanic Society in New York City and won the favor of many, including a commission to paint William Hoover Taft that same year. He returned to Valencia and purchased a beach house where he lived until his death on August 10, 1923.