Castle of La Mota, Medina del Campo

Castle La Mota can be found in the town of Medina del Campo, within the Spanish province of Valladolid. It was one of several castles painted by Joaquin Sorolla across his career.

Within this artwork we see how Sorolla could handle light so brilliantly. He also made use of the bright colours found in Spanish life, as the strong sunshine brought everything to life. He chooses here to place several woman in the foreground which helps to balance the work and also to deliver some perspective as we look off into the distance. The castle itself is painted with an impressionist manner, so he does not go into precise detail, but rather creates panes of colour which together form the image in our minds. We see a number of birds around the tallest part of this structure, and the orange-red tones of the building help us to identify this as another of his Spanish-based artworks. The looselness of brushwork continues with elements in the foreground which are deliberately left rough, with individual brushstrokes still visible.

Sorolla's charm was very much in his palette, bright tones captured life in Spain beautifully. His relaxed approach which was most similar to the French Impressionists would also provide a wonderful atmosphere across the different genres in which he worked. The artist was passionate about his country and travelled around from province to province, when time allowed, looking for suitable subjects for his work. Eventually he would actually feature each and every region within his career at some point and his oeuvre therefore became attractive to Spanish expats abroad who could find much to connect to. This helped him to receive large numbers of commissions within the US and it was this country which helped him to profit financially from his highly impressive artistic talents.

The artist would leave behind a huge legacy by the end of his career. It featured hundreds of bright, breaktaking artworks which has led many to consider him to be amongst the finest Spanish artist of all time. Highlights included the likes of Women Walking on the Beach, Sewing the Sail and Sad Inheritance though there were many more besides to enjoy. As an example, Castle of La Mota, Medina del Campo may not be one of his most famous paintings, but it is still a beautifully delivered, enchanting artwork which deserves its own recognition. Today we continue to appreciate what this artist achieved and his reputation remains strongest in the US plus his native Spain.