Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida was born this day in 1863. He began painting at the age of 15 in his native Valencia, Spain. At 18, he went to Madrid, where he copied Old Master paintings in the Museo del Prado (museoprado). At 22, Sorolla won a grant to study painting in Rome, where he developed a distinct ability for depicting the effects of light. When Sorolla returned to Madrid, his paintings were in great demand. The paintings he exhibited at the 1901 Exposition Universelle in Paris were very well received. Contributing to his international fame, the Hispanic Society of America commissioned him to paint decorative scenes for its library in New York City in 1911. J. Paul Getty was "struck by the remarkable quality of Sorolla's paintings, being especially fascinated by his unique treatment of sunlight." The paintings seen here are a small portion of Getty's collection of Sorolla's works. After his death in 1923, Sorolla's widow left a large collection of his paintings to the people of...