Lot Details & Additional Photographs
Oil on canvas, 2015, signed and titled to verso, retaining gallery label to the verso, framed.
Stretcher size 19 1/2 x 19 1/2 in.; Frame dimensions 21 3/4 x 21 3/4 in.
Private Collection, Charleston, South Carolina Landau Fine Art, Montreal
José Antonio Sorolla Gallén, born into a lineage of skilled Spanish artisans, began his artistic journey in his family’s pottery workshop, where he first picked up a brush at the age of eleven. Although trained in the ancestral craft of painting ceramics, his passion shifted to oil painting, marking a decisive turn in his creative path. Entirely self-taught, Sorolla immersed himself in art books and magazines, gradually developing his style through figurative works while absorbing a wide range of influences. His early expressionist phase saw the incorporation of tactile materials—such as straw, hessian, and paper—into his paintings, reflecting his lifelong connection to the textures of the physical world.
Over time, Sorolla's work evolved through stages of abstraction, material experimentation, and eventually a return to life painting, yielding notable series such as
The Artist’s Studio and
Still Life. Known for his eclecticism, his career has moved fluidly through styles—figurative, expressionist, abstract, and back again—each transition unfolding naturally from the last. Currently engaged in a new phase focused on contemporary portraiture and close-up studies, Sorolla draws inspiration from photography and candid human moments. With a deep commitment to evolving his practice, his work continues to explore the boundaries of form, material, and human presence.
Very good condition.