During a recent visit to the beach, my son and I had the opportunity to witness the magical beauty of the golden hour. As the sun dipped low on the horizon, it cast a warm, lambent light across the sandy shore. The light effect was absolutely beautiful; the warm, bright glow contrasted with the cool sky reflections on the sand and water. My son moved along the water's edge, his figure illuminated by the light, and in that moment I couldn't help but think of Sorolla’s beach paintings.

Sorolla was a master of capturing outdoor light, and so many of his oil paintings depict the transient golden light effects like the one we witnessed. To capture such a fleeting moment, Sorolla must have painstakingly studied making color and value sketches through smaller artworks, or perhaps he simply observed and mentally noted the effect. The golden hour is truly a breathtaking display of light, a visual poem that never fails to inspire. As a Plein Air artist, the end of day light is by far my favorite light to paint. It’s not an easy light effect to capture, as the effect lasts briefly. One must paint fast and paint accurately and that is why I appreciate and admire Sorolla’s masterful depictions of the ephemeral golden hour.

Oil paintings by Joaquin Sorolla