Last christmas I received subscription to Selvedge, a textile magazine, covering a wide range of topics; fashion, fine art, interiors, travel and shopping... Every two months, a beautiful new copy gets delivered straight to my door. The latest issue includes an article about Joaquin Sorolla Bastida's paintings of regional Spanish costume. He was one of the most successful painters in Spain in the late 19th century.
'His style is notable for it's mastery of light, from the strong, blinding light of the Mediterranean to the softer, more nebulous light of the beaches of San Sebastian and Asturias, in the north of Spain.'
Joaquin became a great collector of ceramics, archaeological pieces, glassware, medieval sculptures and textiles. The textile pieces included historical items and regional outfits, that were acquired as part of a commission to decorate the Hispanic Society Library.
'The historic textiles cover a wide period, from small Coptic fragments to fabrics from the 19th and 20th centuries.'
The beauty of these costumes also caught the eye of designer Oscar de la Renta. He has a great love for Spain, spending time in the country whilst studying painting at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid, it is also where his design career all began... With the help of Vogue's Andre Leon Talley, the Ministry of Culture of Spain, and curatorial researchers, Joaquin Sorolla Bastida's detailed and illuminating paintings and the costumes that inspired them can be seen for the first time.
'Joaquin Sorolla and the Glory of Spanish Dress', is exhibiting at the Queen Sofia Spanish Institute in New York.
Taken from an article in Selvedge by Covadonga Pitarch Angulo. Translated by Alex Ross.
Exhibition is on from 8th December 2011- 10th March 2012
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