When visiting New York City, if art is on the agenda, there are places one will hit. The Met, for instance. But, on an extended trip, or perhaps on a second or later visit, the city is home to other destinations worth seeing. One of them is fairly unknown--The Hispanic Society of America. It's under the radar for two reasons. There's nothing to indicate that a place so named has a decent amount of very good art. Second, the location: up Broadway at about 155th St., the park is just over 2mi. past Central Park, past Harlem. There aren't many tourist attractions that far north.The HSA first got on my radar while living in Spain, where I reconnected with the art of Joaquin Sorolla, including visiting his once-home/studio in Madrid. I learned about this series, painted near the end of Sorolla's life, and occupying much of the last 8 years of it. "Visions of Spain" was a 12-14' x 227' series of murals, painted mostly from life, wherein Sorolla traveled throughout various regions of Spain, painting local traditions and customs, with folks in local dress. The whole suite was commissioned specifically for this HSA, in NYC. So, though I'd never been to NYC, I knew that a visit would be high on my list whenever I visited the Big Apple. I rave more about Sorolla in general elsewhere.
This photo includes about 1/4 of the entire suite, which lines the room in one continuous arc.
So, when we eventually moved to NYC two years ago (!), and up in northern Manhattan to boot, one of the first things we wanted to see was this room. Just our luck, that wing of the museum was under construction, and the entire series was on tour in Spain, while construction was underway. It was the first time the paintings were on view in Spain, and the show was breaking records wherever it went...including Malaga, less than an hour from where we lived, although not while we were in Spain.
Just this month, the paintings returned and were reinstalled, so within a couple of weeks, we hit it up. The canvases, as mentioned and shown above, are pretty huge. The painter himself was nearing the end of his life, but the work is a real labor of love, a riot of color, light and brushwork--all Sorolla's hallmarks.As you walk up on it, there are certain sections that fall apart, the brushwork of the sort that snaps together a few feet away, in a manner that makes it seem like he painted with a 6-8 foot long brush. Yet, other parts--particularly those portions that are the focal points, definitely stand up to closer viewing.
I'd love to see the amount of paint expended here. Many portions were evidently painted with 1-2" wide brushes, thick slashes of paint laid down exactly, and left. For those who paint, who want to see a good example of the principle of thinly painted darks and thickly painted light areas, these are an education on their own.
Culturally, it's also very interesting to see many traditional scenes before so much of it began being lost. This was before Franco, before WWII. Of interest was seeing the portrayal of the northern region of Galicia. For those who don't know, my surname Gallegos is simply the plural of Gallego, and Gallego is simply the adjective that means Galician. So though my lineage snakes through Mexico on its way to me, there is a clear geographical anchor for at least one section of my family tree. I've yet to visit the region, so it was nice to see.
Some scenes, like Holy Week in Seville (L), can still be seen in today's Spain--I witnessed what felt like this exact moment 8 years ago in Madrid, quite by accident. It was haunting, so standing in front of this life-sized portrayal definitely brought it all back. It was also a great example of keeping color in what would easily be dark and drab scenes. There are flecks of color throughout even the dark penitent's robes, in the most unexpected places.Apart from this room, the museum houses works by a basic who's-who of Spanish artists. This is a museum that won't demand your whole day--it's a good size for those who can't spend hours in museums. It also features a nice collection of Spanish crafts, sculpture and the like; the outside courtyard also has some impressive sculptures.
So, now you know! If you're headed to the Bronx Zoo, Columbia University, or Harlem itself, the Hispanic Society should be a 1-2 hour stopping point on the way. Or, if you're like me, it's the end destination!
