My very knowledgeable and wise friend Agnès Marion recently selected an iconic beach scene by Joaquín Sorolla as a cover photo, which inspired these lines.
In my home town, a terrible fire in the 70s destroyed the stately summer home which dominated the entire valley, but the portrait by Sorolla of Mrs. Gratwick was saved, and in fact is still in the family, proudly hung now in another state. This was the portrait by the great Spanish painter of Mrs. Abbott’s mother, who was among the wealthy elite who commissioned a work during the artist’s tour of America in the early 20th century. Louis Comfort Tiffany was among those happy few. Incidentally, some works by Tiffany himself which adorned that magnificent house have also been preserved. I was only a teenager when the fire occurred, but fortunately had already seen that fine, subtle portrait from another era, and been acquainted with his name and his abundant output. When I was engaged for six weeks at the Zarzuela Theater, in Madrid, besides many visits to the Prado, the Sorolla Museum was especially moving and intriguing. It is in fact his former home and atelier, and features many of these extraordinary, sun-drenched canvases, and show his unique way of capturing the effects of light — and reflections of water — with brilliant, contrasting colors. In New York, the Hispanic Society has just restored the gigantic murals that he created for that space, and has been the object of many enjoyable visits.
At this moment, anticipating another cloudless, sunny day in June as the heavens develop to an intense azure and as the temperature soars, I count my blessings for the memories of being accompanied by artwork and wise friends.