Almost 87,000 people have visited the exhibition Sorolla, Gardens of Light organized by the Patronato de la Alhambra

The exhibition of Sorolla, Gardens of Light, has already received 86,970 visitors since it was opened on 29th June. It has been set up by the Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife, the Sorolla Museum and Ferrara Arte, and is held in the Palace of Charles V of the Alhambra. It has attracted not only the numerous tourists who are visiting the Alhambra, almost 13,000 inhabitants of Granada who have visited the historical monument to delight in this magnificent collection of paintings.

This is a travelling exhibition that is being held in three different venues: the Palazzo dei Diamanti which is the seat of the Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Ferrara, Italy, the Fine Arts Museum in the Palace of Charles V in Granada and the Sorolla Museum in Madrid.
The exhibition sets out the different stages of Joaquín Sorolla’s meeting with the ancient culture of Andalusia, including the landscape of Sierra Nevada, his fascination for the courtyards and gardens of Islamic inspiration in the Alhambra in Granada and the Alcázar in Seville. The composition of these paintings has a complete lack of human figures, but they show the vibrant light and colours of the vegetation, marble elements, ceramics and fountains.
On the occasion of the exhibition, Sorolla, Gardens of Light, the Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife and the Mediterranean Centre of Granada University have organized the symposium on Sorolla, his last era, to be held in the Palace of Charles V on 12nd and 13rd September, 2012. This will be directed by the curators of the exhibition: Tomàs Llorens, Blanca Pons-Sorolla, María López and Boye Llorens.
The objective of this course is to study Sorolla’s “final way of painting”. By this we refer to an aspect of his painting that until now has received remarkably little historiographic attention and which reflects certain aesthetic interests which contradict some of the most widespread clichés about the artist.
During these two days, both the curators and other experts on the Valencian artist and his work will present some profound studies on different aspects of his career; they will include Tomás Llorens, art historian, who will present the first talk, Last Gardens. José Luis Díez, head of Conservation of 19th Century Painting of the National Prado Museum, will deal with the Pictorial Language of Sorolla and Nature as a Stage. Another participant will be Marina Ferretti, Doctor of Science of the Giverny Museum of Impressionists, who will talk on Claude Monet’s garden in Giverny. María del Mar Villafranca, director-general of the Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife, will give a talk on The Alhambra visited by Sorolla.
Those who are interested in taking part in the course should make their reservation through the website of the Mediterranean Centre of Granada University, or by telephone 958242922.