“Duels with the sun are less”, this famous phrase by Joaquín Sorolla condenses the light that his painting radiates. An almost genetic question for an artist who was born back in 1863 in a city bathed by the sea and the sun all year round. For this reason, now that the days are shortening and the light is getting sad as autumn progresses, it is ideal to consider a getaway to Valencia to enjoy its luminosity and the rest of its charms.
Tourists arriving from less sunny climates know a lot about this. In the old town or in places far from the center such as the Oceanogràfic, perhaps the great star of the City of Arts and Sciences, you can hear conversations in Spanish and Valencia mixed with talks in Italian, French and English, both with British accents and with a North American tone, and American tourism has grown a lot in Valencia lately. Just as it is not at all unusual to meet groups of oriental tourists.
It doesn’t matter where they come from, everyone soaks up the local spirit that tends towards good living, without giving up excess and overloaded things. Something that is not new, since it is manifested even in its oldest monuments. Like the Silk Market, designed for merchants to do business with exquisite merchandise from the middle of the Mediterranean. For them, this Gothic construction was built at the end of the 15th century, in whose vaults a rich labyrinth of golden ribs is recreated.
There are many other buildings in Valencia that tend towards pomp and madness for decoration, without that meaning becoming tawdry. Not at all! Simply put, the history of Valencian art is full of baroqueism. The variegated becomes a hallmark and a type of unexpected beauty, very far from other canons dominated by harmonies and balances. Here, more is more and better.
Just look at the palace of the Marquis of Dos Aguas. Its main façade is opulence made art. It is impossible to walk before it without stopping to unravel the secrets hidden in such a sculptural delirium carved in alabaster in the mid-18th century. The most obvious thing is to link the large figures of the door with the two waters, that is, the Turia and Júcar rivers. But from there it is good to get lost in contemplation to discover lions, crocodiles, snakes, heraldic shields or mythological characters.
However, the maximum concept of the ornate reaches its peak in the church of San Nicolás. The narrow alley that leads to the temple does not anticipate what awaits inside. The advertising poster that compares his paintings to the Sistine Chapel seems like a joke. But upon entering the simile is understood. There are 1,900 m2 of frescoes without leaving even a millimeter without a brushstroke. All to narrate in a baroque and detailed way the life of San Nicolás de Bari and San Pedro Mártir. Without a doubt, a spectacular pictorial account of 17th century Spanish art.
So much talk about art and Valencia forces us to visit the work of its most emblematic painter. Even more so in this autumn of 2023, which marks the end of the Sorolla Year commemorating the centenary of his death. An anniversary with the city dedicated to countless events. Events such as fashion shows inspired by his works or the publication by the Social Security group of the song Todo es luz based on his paintings.
Nor has there been a lack of an immersive audiovisual titled Sorolla, a new dimension that can be seen until the end of the year at La Base de La Marina. While the ground floor of the Museum of Fine Arts of Valencia houses the almost fifty works by Sorolla owned by the Masaveu Collection. Perhaps the great artistic event, both for capturing a unique creative trajectory and for the innovative montage that allows you to see both the oil paintings and the back parts of the paintings. For this reason it has been extended until October 15.
And without leaving the Museum of Fine Arts, on its third floor there are two other rooms dedicated to Joaquín Sorolla. They are the museum’s recently expanded permanent collection. There are works from his formative years, as well as canvases from later years that show a luminous, personal and non-transferable style when it comes to portraying or painting his beloved Mediterranean Sea.
The NH Collection Valencia Colón is a relatively new hotel in the city of Turia. It opened its doors in 2019, but its stately building has a long history dating back to the 19th century. Although only the façade on the central Colón street allows us to sense that past. Since once you go through its doors and reach the lobby you can see a renovated interior decorated with the personality of Lorenzo Castillo. This sought-after interior designer has poured his passion for English, French or Indian style ornaments here to recreate a virtual journey through the establishment’s 47 rooms, each one different from the one next door.
The same aesthetic references immediately draw attention in the furniture and decoration of other areas of the hotel, such as the Piano Club or the Sky Bar Terrace. Both are open to non-guests of the accommodation. In fact, musical performances are regularly scheduled so that the general public can enjoy the atmosphere and the careful cocktails that are emblematic of the house. And in the same way, anyone can taste the casual (but very elaborate) dishes at the Kamikaze restaurant, open on the 2nd floor of the NH Collection Valencia Colón.
