Sorolla: A Master of Color and Value

My dear friend and teacher, Everett Raymond Kinstler, was a student of the great painter Gordon Stevenson (1892-1982). Stevenson studied with both John Singer Sargent and Joaquin Sorolla. While in Spain working with the great master artist Sorolla, Stevenson was amazed at the clarity of color and mastery of value that came from the artist’s brush.  

Sorolla taught that good color comes from good value and a SIMPLE palette.

All too often we tend to think good color comes from the shelves of the local art store and the dozens of colors that are at our disposal. A friend reminded me recently of the simplicity of Sorolla’s palette:  

Zink white, Yellow Ochre, Seville Red Earth, Rose Madder, Ivory Black, Cassell Earth (Brown).  

Remember…good color comes from good value, color harmony, and a simple palette!