






“ “Women’s beauty is something that is romantic; every artist has painted it with great relish.” ”
Fernando Botero
In conjunction with ARTIKA, the Sorolla Museum Foundation has published this unique, exclusive work to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the birth of the grand master of light, and which is based on the main theme in his painting – his great passion, the sea.
The drawings are the main focus of El Mar de Sorolla (Sorolla’s Sea), and specifically the facsimile reproductions of 69 of the artist’s original drawings, produced in pencil, graphite, charcoal and chalk, and selected by the museum’s technical director, who chose them for their subject matter – the sea - and their great artistic value. They are presented in the Book of Art, a volume bound in cotton cloth and with an enlarged detail of the painting El balandrito (The Little Yacht) screenprinted on the cover.
In addition, the work includes the Study Book, a unique work that helps the reader to explore and understand the 69 drawings, their technique, meaning and context, as explained by some of the leading experts on the work of the Valencian painter, and which include the Director of the Museo Sorolla and the great grand-daughter of the artist.
And to top it all off, there is an Art Folder containing a reproduction of two drawings by the master artist: Pescadoras Barcelonesas(Barcelona fisherwomen) and Barca en la Playa (Boat on the Beach. These can be displayed, together with the books, in the eye-catching transparent case and display unit of this unique, limited, numbered and exclusive work.
For optimum printing results, first of all, the colour density values are measured.
The drawings are compared with the colour proofs, and if they do not fulfil requirements, they are discarded.
After checking that they coincide with the original, each drawing is individually laser-printed.
The drawings are fixed onto the pages with three drops of special glue.
Owing to its size, the body of the book is hand-sewn with cotton thread.
A cotton cloth featuring a reproduction of the canvas is used as the base for the six-colour printing of the book cover.
Each piece of printed cloth is cut to the size of the book to be bound.
The book is hand-bound using laminated cardboard, a layer of foam and the printed cloth.
The 2.5-cm-thick methacrylate has 98% transparency.
The artist’s signature is engraved on the front sheet, which stands out against the blue background of the cover.
The iron joining the two methacrylate sheets is subjected to an oxidisation process.
To ensure transparency, the sheets are joined with glue. The removable side section is held in place by magnets.
(1863-1923) A lover of outdoor painting, light and the colours of the Mediterranean, Sorolla represents the zenith of Spanish Luminism. His fame soon travelled beyond his own country to spread through Europe and the United States, where he held several exhibitions. Sorolla is known for painting in an impressionistic style, including both sea scenes and landscapes. Nature was his workshop and his inspiration. He also became the most sought-after portraitist of his time, producing portraits of members of the Royal family and figures from the world of politics, the arts, and economics.