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Monday, August 19, 2024

Women of Summer by Spaniard Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida 1863-1923

Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida (Spanish artist, 1863-1923) Beneath the Canopy 1910

Duncan Phillips, one of the founders of The Phillips Collection, visited Sorolla in Madrid around 1910. He published his article Sorolla: the Painter of Sunlight in 1913. "At his best Sorolla combines truth and beauty in a very exceptional way. His distinctive achievement is the effect of sunlight on white - white skin, white sails, white dresses, white walls. His whites are never twice alike, but they speak vividly of various sorts of surfaces and edges...from Monet or from experience he has learned that a slight mixture with pure white pigment of yellow or vermilion for parts in light, and of violet or blue for parts in shadow, will produce the illusion of air that sparkles with sunbeams."

Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida (Spanish artist, 1863-1923) Clotilde and Elena on the Rocks at Javea 1905

Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida (Spanish artist, 1863-1923) Clotilde 1891

Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida (Spanish artist, 1863-1923) Clotilde at the Beach 1904

Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida (Spanish artist, 1863-1923) Fishing Nets 1893

Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida (Spanish artist, 1863-1923) Girl with Flowers

Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida (Spanish artist, 1863-1923) In the Garden 1896

Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida (Spanish artist, 1863-1923) Italian Girl with Flowers

Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida (Spanish artist, 1863-1923) Lighthouse Walk at Biarritz 1906

Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida (Spanish artist, 1863-1923) Maria at la Granja

Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida (Spanish artist, 1863-1923) Maria at the Beach Biarritz 1906

Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida (Spanish artist, 1863-1923) Maria Painting in el Pardo 1907

Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida (Spanish artist, 1863-1923) Mending the Sails 1896

Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida (Spanish artist, 1863-1923) My Wife and Daughters

Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida (Spanish artist, 1863-1923) Promenade by the Sea 1909

Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida (Spanish artist, 1863-1923) Shell in Javea 1900

Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida (Spanish artist, 1863-1923) Snapshot at Biarritz 1906

Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida (Spanish artist, 1863-1923) Under the Parasol, Zarauz, 1910''

Biography of Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida (1863-1923)

Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida, born in1863, in Valencia, Spain, emerged as one of Spain's most celebrated painters of that period. Renowned for his mastery of light, color, & depiction of everyday life, Sorolla’s work traverses various genres, including landscapes, seascapes, portraits, & social scenes. His artistic style evolved from early Realism to a distinctive form of Impressionism, characterized by vibrant, luminous scenes set against the Mediterranean coast.

Sorolla was orphaned at a young age & raised by his aunt & uncle. His artistic talent became evident early in life, & by the age of 15, he began formal art studies at the Academy of San Carlos in Valencia. After completing his studies, Sorolla traveled to Madrid, where he diligently copied works in the Prado Museum, particularly those of Velázquez & El Greco.

In 1885, Sorolla received a grant to study in Rome, where he spent 4 years refining his craft. During this period, he traveled up to Paris, where he was deeply influenced by the French Impressionists. Sorolla is best known for his vibrant depictions of sun-drenched landscapes & seascapes, where he captured the moody brilliance of the Mediterranean sun & the fluid reflection of water with unparalleled vision & skill.

In 1888, Sorolla married Clotilde García del Castillo, the daughter of a prominent photographer. Clotilde became his muse, appearing in many of his portraits, & the couple had three children. Sorolla’s family life was a central theme in his work, with his children frequently depicted in his paintings, often painting them in intimate & joyful settings.

In the latter part of his career, Sorolla continued to produce works celebrating light, nature, & the vibrancy of life. In 1920, he suffered a stroke ending his active career. He died in Madrid in1923. His ability to capture the essence of Spanish culture, the breathtaking beauty of the Mediterranean, & the subtleties of light earned him the title "Master of Light."

Bibliography

Books:

Barón, Javier. Sorolla: The Masterworks. Skira Rizzoli, 2019.

Benedetti, María López Fernández, & Francisco Pons-Sorolla. Sorolla: A Vision of Spain. Instituto de Cultura Fundación MAPFRE, 2007.

Mena Marqués, Manuela B. Joaquín Sorolla 1863-1923. Museo Nacional del Prado, 2009.

Mendelson, Jordana, & Blanca Pons-Sorolla. Sorolla & America. Ediciones El Viso, 2014.

Pons-Sorolla, Blanca. Joaquín Sorolla. Polígrafa, 2001.

Articles:

Barón, Javier. "Joaquín Sorolla & His World." Apollo: The International Art Magazine, vol. 169, no. 567, 2009, pp. 18-26.

Blanco, Antonio Muñoz. "Sorolla, the Painter of Light." The Burlington Magazine, vol. 136, no. 1098, 1994, pp. 252-259.

Cohen, Sarah. "The Mediterranean Vision of Joaquín Sorolla: Light, Landscape, & Identity." Art History, vol. 32, no. 4, 2009, pp. 545-567.

Llorens, Tomás. "Sorolla & the Spanish Realist Tradition." The Art Bulletin, vol. 79, no. 3, 1997, pp. 451-468.

Pons-Sorolla, Blanca. "Sorolla: Portraits of Family & Friends." Journal of Art Historiography, vol. 12, 2015, pp. 89-107.

Saturday, November 11, 2023

1621 Gossip 0n 4 Women who Cooked the 1st Puritan Thanksgiving

1899 painting, The 1st Puritan Thanksgiving 1621 by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris Jean Leon Gerome Ferris !863-1930) was an American painter best known for his series of 78 scenes from American history, entitled The Pageant of a Nation, the largest series of American historical paintings by a single artist.

Four Women Who Cooked the 1st Puritan Thanksgiving

The New England Historical Society conjectures that 4 women who cooked the 1st Puritan Thanksgiving probably didn’t feel all that thankful, when they learned there would be 90 guests, all Wampanoag men that their husbands may have invited , to eat with them.

They were the only women left after the 1st deadly winter that killed half of Plymouth Colony. They died of exhaustion, starvation, pneumonia, scurvy & cold. By springtime, 14 women had perished. The 4 women left managed to feed 143 people without kitchens, ovens, wheat, spices or butter.

Their dinner guests may have shown up unexpectedly, or...perhaps their menfolk had invited them to seal a peace deal. The meal itself – or rather meals, because they stayed for three days – served as more of a harvest celebration than a Thanksgiving.

The women faced another challenge: getting along with each other. Cooking for so many people required cooperation among the 4, who had different backgrounds & aspirations. They included a Saint, a Goodwife, a Traveler & a Troublemaker.

The colonists referred to themselves as “Saints” & “Strangers” or “Travelers.” The devout Saints wanted to separate from the Church of England & crossed the Atlantic for religious freedom. Strangers came for adventure & opportunity. That both Saints & Strangers signed the Mayflower Compact shows the inclusiveness of the colonists.

That 1st Puritan Thanksgiving was cooked by 2 Saints, Mary Brewster & Susanna Winslow, & 2 Strangers, Elizabeth Hopkins & Eleanor Billington. But they probably all deserved sainthood for cooking all that food. The men just “feasted & entertained,” according to one of their husbands.

Goodwife Susanna White Winslow had married Edward Winslow, had married Susanna in May, about 5 months earlier. He would serve as Plymouth’s governor & diplomat, & together they would prosper. So at 29, Susanna Winslow was a rising figure in the little colony...

Her 1st husband had a common name, & no one seems to really know which Englishman named William White boarded the Mayflower with her. Susanna & William brought their young son, Resolved, about 5 years old. Susanna was pregnant, & gave birth to their 2nd son, Peregrine, below decks on the Mayflower as it lay at anchor in Massachusetts Bay. Odd as “Resolved” & “Peregrine” may seem, their names were typical of the Puritans. They suggest Susanna was a Saint.

William died in February & another wife Elizabeth Winslow died in March. Forty-eight days after Elizabeth died, Edward married Susanna. He brought to the union a daughter, Margaret, about 3 years old.

Edward & Susanna had practical & emotional reasons for marrying so soon after their spouses died. Martyn Whittock points out in Mayflower Lives, “Shared faith, shared history, mutual respect, &, no doubt, physical as well as emotional attraction drew them together. & there is plenty of evidence for loving physical union enhancing partnership in the godly marriages.”

A portrait of Edward Winslow suggests a happy marriage. In his hand he holds a letter. The last three lines read, “From your loving wife, Susanna.” The portrait was painted in 1651, 30 years after their wedding.

William Brewster's wife was Mary Brewster, who was a Saint. Puritans believed in social hierarchy, so one can easily guess who took charge of the cooking operation. Mary probably wished she had the help of her 2 daughters, Patience, 21, & Fear, 15, to cook for all those people. But the Brewsters left their daughters behind. They believed, like many of the colonists, that the weaker sex might not survive the journey. That Mary joined her husband tells us something about her grit, her courage & her deep religious faith.

The Brewsters did bring their two boys with them, Love & Wrestling, about 11 & 7 at the 1st Thanksgiving. They would have helped prepare the meal, along with little Resolved White & Margaret Winslow. Richard More, their 7-year-old servant, would have helped, too.

Young Richard had come with three siblings, all dead by the time of the 1st Thanksgiving. Known as one of the Mayflower Love Children, Richard’s legal father had sent the children to America, when he discovered he was not their biological father. Patience & Fear arrived in Plymouth a few years later, along with older brother Jonathan. Fear married another saint, Isaac Allerton.

Another female survivor was Elizabeth Hopkins, Traveler. Two years before boarding the Mayflower, Elizabeth Hopkins, married one of the most interesting Plymouth colonists, Stephen Hopkins. She was 33, he was a 36-year-old widower with 3 children. He had already survived a shipwreck in the Caribbean & taken part in the settlement of Jamestown before returning to England. His adventure as a castaway on a Caribbean island probably inspired Shakespeare to create the character Stephano in The Tempest.

Stephen, a rough-&-ready sort, planned to return to Virginia with his family. His family included Constance, 14, & Giles, 12, the t2 surviving children from his 1st marriage. Little Damaris was about three. She probably hoped to have her baby on land, but crosswinds & storms extended the unpleasant Mayflower voyage. She gave birth to Oceanus in a dark, cramped berth below the decks of the gyrating vessel.

Stephen, though a Traveler, held a position of importance in the colony. Because of his time in Jamestown, he could hunt, & he knew about Native Americans. When the English-speaking Native American Samoset came to Plymouth, Elizabeth & Stephen put him up that night in their tiny house.

The house had at the very most three rooms, cramped quarters 4 adults, 3 children & the Hopkins’ 2 servants, Edward Doty & Edward Leister. The crowding probably didn’t help anyone’s temper. The 2 servants had fought & wounded each other in a sword-&-dagger duel a few months before that Thanksgiving...

They would have 5 more children, run a tavern & occasionally get into trouble with the authorities. Stephen had to pay fines for allowing drinking & shuffleboard on Sunday, for overserving & for overcharging customers. But theirs seems to have been a successful partnership. When Stephen died in 1644 his will directed he be buried as close as possible to Elizabeth.

Eleanor Billington, on the other hand, was a troublemaker from a troublemaking family. The younger of her 2 sons, Francis, nearly burned down the Mayflower as it lay anchored in Plymouth Harrbor in December of 1620. He’d set off some homemade fireworks with his father’s gunpowder.

Eleanor had a hard time controlling her sons... Both tended to wander off unsupervised. In one case her older son John roamed into a camp of Nausets, who had clashed with the colonists upon their 1st arrival.

Gov. William Bradford described Eleanor’s husband, John Billington, as “a knave.” Billington contemptuously challenged Capt. Myles Standish’s orders during a militia drill in March 1621.Had he not begged forgiveness, the Plymouth authorities would have punished him. In 1630, he did get punished – hanged for murdering a neighbor. Bradford then described the Billingtons as one of the “profanest families among them.” He could not understand how the Pilgrims had allowed them to join them from London.

Eleanor Billington also caused trouble. In 1636, she went to the stocks & received a whipping for slandering another Plymouth citizen, John Doane.

Five teenaged girls survived the winter, & they would have worked alongside the 4 Thanksgiving cooks. Mary Chilton was 14 when she came ashore from the Mayflower, the 1st woman to set foot on Plymouth soil.

The oldest, Priscilla Mullins, at 19 had lost her mother, father & brother during the winter. She would soon marry John Alden after a courtship immortalized by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, their descendant.

Constance Hopkins (13 or 14), Elizabeth Tilley (14 or 15) & Dorothy, an unnamed maidservant, perhaps 18 or 19, would have helped prepare the meal as well. They probably also had to keep an eye on the children, who included Bartholomew, Mary & Remember Allerton, Humility Cooper, Samuel Eaton & Desire Minter. The older ones would have helped.

Perhaps the teenagers minded fires, turned spits, carried water, plucked wildfowl or shucked shellfish. Maybe the lucky ones got the easy job of setting the tables – rough boards covered with cloth. They had just knives & spoons, as the 1st fork wouldn’t arrive in America until 1633. Tableware would have included pewter or wooden trenchers, tankards & lots & lots of napkins. Since they ate roast meat with their hands, napkins were a must.

While the women cooked, the men entertained their guests. They showed off their military drills for the Wampanoags. & theymight have played a version of football on the beach with the Natives, using a deerskin ball stuffed with deer hair.

At least they’d brought food. Bradford ordered 4 (probably including Stephen Hopkins) to shoot wildfowl. They blasted their muskets for the benefit of the Wampanoags, who outnumbered them.

They may have shot some turkey, but they most likely got duck, geese, swans & maybe even carrier pigeon. The women would have plucked, trimmed & trussed them, then spit-roasted the small birds & boiled the larger ones.

They may have stuffed the birds with onions & herbs from their garden, & maybe chestnuts from the woods. The next day, they would have taken the leftover meat & made a broth or a potage in their Dutch ovens.

The Wampanoags killed 5 deer & brought them as gifts. The women would have also cooked them on spits outdoors. Vegetables like corn, turnips, cabbages & carrots went into Dutch ovens on the hearths.

They would have eaten lobster, mussels & clams without butter, because cows didn’t arrive until later. Cod, bass & eels likely appeared on the tables.

They probably also served native fruit—cranberries, wild plums, melons & grapes – as well as walnuts, beechnuts & chestnuts.

Pumpkin, called pompion, undoubtedly would have appeared on the menu. The early colonists ate vast quantities of the stuff. In fact, the 1st American folk song is a lament about how much pumpkin they ate. The 4 women who cooked the 1st Puritan Thanksgiving most certainly did not make pumpkin pie. With no flour, sugar or baking ovens, they probably just stewed it.

Friday, December 23, 2016

Waterside with Canadian Paul Peel 1860-1892

Paul Peel (Canadian-born artist, 1860-1892) The Young Botanist 1888-90

Paul Peel was a Canadian academic painter. Having won a medal at the 1890 Paris Salon, he became one of the first Canadian artists to receive international recognition in his lifetime.