El Retiro, Madrid

This painting by Joaquin Sorolla captures a large number of figures in a supporting role. The main focus is this local park in Madrid, with the artist titling this piece, El Retiro, Madrid.

There are several slim tree trunks in the foreground with a footpath sweeping past on the left hand side. Grass is rich and plentiful, which is relatively rare for Sorolla's paintings as normally it would be fairly barren due to the hot sun found in most of Spain. We can spot some classically dressed figures in the background, many of whom are paired off in the traditional ways of that time. Perhaps these couples are off for a quiet walk in the park together, enjoying a rare splash of greenery within the large Spanish capital city. There is something interesting about the composition here, with no real focal point added by the artist, and most of our focus devoted to the trees which sit across the foreground. Perhaps the artist was experimenting here, but there is still much to enjoy about this piece.

One can still see quite large dabs of paint, perhaps suggesting that this was a study painting or that the artist was going for a really Impressionist style in which expression and emotion make their way into how the artwork is formed. Brighter light appears further back in the painting, as we see through space between the trees. This perhaps suggests a significance in the individuals placed at the back, where a number are joined together and perhaps that refers to the title of this painting which essentially translates as Retirement. Perhaps a small gathering in the park to mark a special occasion? It remains hard to know, as this painting has not received as much attention from historians as the artist's more famous work such as Beach at Valencia, The Return from Fishing and Children on the Beach.

Sorolla would put together a number of interesting scenes in which human figures would be used as supporting elements, often in order to provide a sense of size for other items within the painting. For example, they might stand in front of a large piece of architecture, such as a castle. In other cases they would be around more natural elements, such as cliff faces, again helping to give a sense of size. Sorolla would also incorporate working people into his paintings, and was genuinely interested in their lives. This included workers on the beaches of Valencia, who would help to pull boats in as well as women who might be involved in craftwork.