Joaquin Sorolla - El mar de Sorolla - 2014
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Joaquín Sorolla’s *El mar de Sorolla* is a 2014 limited first edition in Spanish, published by Artika as a two-book hardback set with tipped-in plates and a slipcase.
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Description from the seller
Joaquín Sorolla: El Mar This ia a Luxury 22 kg aprox book (without packaging)
ARTIKA
El Mar, published by ARTIKA, is an extraordinary collector's edition dedicated to Joaquín Sorolla (1863–1923), one of Spain's most celebrated painters and an unrivalled master in his representation of Mediterranean light. Conceived as both an artistic tribute and an exceptional publishing achievement, this monumental edition explores the profound relationship between Sorolla and the sea, a subject that remained central to his artistic vision throughout his career.
For Sorolla, the Mediterranean was far more than a landscape. It was an inexhaustible source of inspiration, a constantly changing spectacle of light, movement and colour. His paintings of Valencian beaches, fishermen, sailing boats and children playing in the surf reveal an extraordinary sensitivity to the fleeting effects of sunlight on water and the human figure. Through his distinctive brushwork and remarkable understanding of colour, Sorolla transformed everyday coastal scenes into some of the most luminous and recognisable images in Spanish art.
El Mar offers an intimate exploration of this fascination, bringing together reproductions of the artist's work, preparatory drawings and studies that reveal his creative process. Particular attention is given to the spontaneity of his drawings, which capture the immediacy of observation and the fluidity of his artistic imagination. These works provide a privileged insight into Sorolla's ability to translate movement, atmosphere and light into images of exceptional vitality.
The edition is presented as an elaborate artistic object, meticulously produced to reflect the importance of its subject. Its most striking feature is the monumental sculptural case, constructed from two substantial methacrylate panels connected by a painted and oxidised iron sheet, designed to evoke the textures, colours and movement of the sea. Weighing 15.5 kilograms when empty, the case transforms the publication into an object that exists somewhere between a luxury art book and a contemporary sculpture.
Inside, the edition contains two large-format volumes. The Art Book, comprising 182 pages, is printed in five colours and features a luxurious binding hand-sewn with cotton thread. Its cotton fabric cover is printed in six colours, while the interior incorporates 69 die-cut facsimiles of Sorolla's drawings, individually attached at three points, together with five fold-out triptychs. This sophisticated presentation allows the reader to appreciate the drawings as individual artistic objects, emphasising their material qualities and their importance within Sorolla's creative practice.
The accompanying Study Book, containing 168 pages, provides further context for the artist's relationship with the Mediterranean, offering an opportunity to explore the artistic significance of his marine imagery. Completing the edition is an Art Portfolio containing two fine-art prints, each protected by a folding diptych.
The exceptional dimensions, sophisticated printing techniques and painstaking craftsmanship distinguish El Mar from conventional art publications. Every component has been conceived to create a physical and visual experience that reflects Sorolla's lifelong fascination with the Mediterranean.
For collectors of fine art books, exceptional limited-edition publications and important works devoted to Spanish painting, ARTIKA's El Mar represents a remarkable fusion of artistic scholarship, traditional bookmaking and contemporary editorial design. More than a retrospective of Sorolla's marine imagery, it is an ambitious celebration of the sea as both an artistic subject and an enduring source of creative inspiration.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
PRESENTATION CASE
Construction: Two methacrylate panels connected by a painted and oxidised iron sheet, designed to evoke the appearance and texture of the sea.
Methacrylate panel thickness: 2.5 cm
Weight of empty case: 15.5 kg
Dimensions: 41 × 53 × 12.5 cm
STUDY BOOK
Printing: Four-colour printing
Binding: Softcover, sewn binding with double 350 gsm cardstock
Cover: Four-colour printed covering with protective lamination
Pages: 168
Dimensions: 35.3 × 45.8 cm
ART BOOK
Printing: Five-colour printing
Binding: Luxury binding, hand-sewn with cotton thread
Cover: Cotton fabric printed in six colours
Pages: 182
Special features: 69 die-cut facsimiles of drawings, attached to the book at three adhesive points, together with five fold-out triptychs
Dimensions: 35.3 × 45.8 cm
ART PORTFOLIO
Contents: Two fine-art prints, each accompanied by a protective folding diptych
Printing: Five-colour printing
Dimensions: 35.3 × 45.8 cm
PUBLISHER
ARTIKA, Spain
Seller's Story
Dartbooks is a specialized photography bookshop based in Barcelona, dedicated to photobooks, rare and out-of-print editions, and historically significant publications. With a strong focus on Japanese photography, Dartbooks was founded to provide continuity to a field that requires depth, expertise, and careful curation.
The bookshop was established after the closure of Kowasa, a landmark reference for photography books in Spain. Its disappearance left a clear gap for photographers, collectors, and institutions in need of a space with a serious and knowledgeable approach to the photobook. Dartbooks emerged in response to that need, not as a replacement, but as part of the natural evolution of a cultural ecosystem.
Dartbooks operates with a curatorial mindset, shaped by long-term engagement with photography and book collecting. The project functions as a book hunting platform for collectors, professionals, and libraries worldwide, and also provides advisory support to other bookshops seeking to develop coherent and specialized photography collections.
The catalogue includes new publications, rare and out-of-print titles, monographs, retrospectives, self-published works, signed copies, and editions produced directly by photographers through their own imprints. The selection reflects a sustained commitment to photography as a form of visual narration, where images construct meaning beyond text.
Although rooted in the Gràcia neighbourhood of Barcelona, Dartbooks serves an international audience. Its community includes collectors, professionals, and institutions from France, the United Kingdom, Japan, and beyond, both through the physical space and the online platform.
Dartbooks understands the photobook not merely as an object of consumption, but as a cultural artifact that documents artistic practices, historical contexts, and personal visions. The bookshop functions simultaneously as a place of discovery, an archive in constant growth, and a point of connection between photographers, publishers, and readers.
Joaquín Sorolla: El Mar This ia a Luxury 22 kg aprox book (without packaging)
ARTIKA
El Mar, published by ARTIKA, is an extraordinary collector's edition dedicated to Joaquín Sorolla (1863–1923), one of Spain's most celebrated painters and an unrivalled master in his representation of Mediterranean light. Conceived as both an artistic tribute and an exceptional publishing achievement, this monumental edition explores the profound relationship between Sorolla and the sea, a subject that remained central to his artistic vision throughout his career.
For Sorolla, the Mediterranean was far more than a landscape. It was an inexhaustible source of inspiration, a constantly changing spectacle of light, movement and colour. His paintings of Valencian beaches, fishermen, sailing boats and children playing in the surf reveal an extraordinary sensitivity to the fleeting effects of sunlight on water and the human figure. Through his distinctive brushwork and remarkable understanding of colour, Sorolla transformed everyday coastal scenes into some of the most luminous and recognisable images in Spanish art.
El Mar offers an intimate exploration of this fascination, bringing together reproductions of the artist's work, preparatory drawings and studies that reveal his creative process. Particular attention is given to the spontaneity of his drawings, which capture the immediacy of observation and the fluidity of his artistic imagination. These works provide a privileged insight into Sorolla's ability to translate movement, atmosphere and light into images of exceptional vitality.
The edition is presented as an elaborate artistic object, meticulously produced to reflect the importance of its subject. Its most striking feature is the monumental sculptural case, constructed from two substantial methacrylate panels connected by a painted and oxidised iron sheet, designed to evoke the textures, colours and movement of the sea. Weighing 15.5 kilograms when empty, the case transforms the publication into an object that exists somewhere between a luxury art book and a contemporary sculpture.
Inside, the edition contains two large-format volumes. The Art Book, comprising 182 pages, is printed in five colours and features a luxurious binding hand-sewn with cotton thread. Its cotton fabric cover is printed in six colours, while the interior incorporates 69 die-cut facsimiles of Sorolla's drawings, individually attached at three points, together with five fold-out triptychs. This sophisticated presentation allows the reader to appreciate the drawings as individual artistic objects, emphasising their material qualities and their importance within Sorolla's creative practice.
The accompanying Study Book, containing 168 pages, provides further context for the artist's relationship with the Mediterranean, offering an opportunity to explore the artistic significance of his marine imagery. Completing the edition is an Art Portfolio containing two fine-art prints, each protected by a folding diptych.
The exceptional dimensions, sophisticated printing techniques and painstaking craftsmanship distinguish El Mar from conventional art publications. Every component has been conceived to create a physical and visual experience that reflects Sorolla's lifelong fascination with the Mediterranean.
For collectors of fine art books, exceptional limited-edition publications and important works devoted to Spanish painting, ARTIKA's El Mar represents a remarkable fusion of artistic scholarship, traditional bookmaking and contemporary editorial design. More than a retrospective of Sorolla's marine imagery, it is an ambitious celebration of the sea as both an artistic subject and an enduring source of creative inspiration.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
PRESENTATION CASE
Construction: Two methacrylate panels connected by a painted and oxidised iron sheet, designed to evoke the appearance and texture of the sea.
Methacrylate panel thickness: 2.5 cm
Weight of empty case: 15.5 kg
Dimensions: 41 × 53 × 12.5 cm
STUDY BOOK
Printing: Four-colour printing
Binding: Softcover, sewn binding with double 350 gsm cardstock
Cover: Four-colour printed covering with protective lamination
Pages: 168
Dimensions: 35.3 × 45.8 cm
ART BOOK
Printing: Five-colour printing
Binding: Luxury binding, hand-sewn with cotton thread
Cover: Cotton fabric printed in six colours
Pages: 182
Special features: 69 die-cut facsimiles of drawings, attached to the book at three adhesive points, together with five fold-out triptychs
Dimensions: 35.3 × 45.8 cm
ART PORTFOLIO
Contents: Two fine-art prints, each accompanied by a protective folding diptych
Printing: Five-colour printing
Dimensions: 35.3 × 45.8 cm
PUBLISHER
ARTIKA, Spain
Seller's Story
Dartbooks is a specialized photography bookshop based in Barcelona, dedicated to photobooks, rare and out-of-print editions, and historically significant publications. With a strong focus on Japanese photography, Dartbooks was founded to provide continuity to a field that requires depth, expertise, and careful curation.
The bookshop was established after the closure of Kowasa, a landmark reference for photography books in Spain. Its disappearance left a clear gap for photographers, collectors, and institutions in need of a space with a serious and knowledgeable approach to the photobook. Dartbooks emerged in response to that need, not as a replacement, but as part of the natural evolution of a cultural ecosystem.
Dartbooks operates with a curatorial mindset, shaped by long-term engagement with photography and book collecting. The project functions as a book hunting platform for collectors, professionals, and libraries worldwide, and also provides advisory support to other bookshops seeking to develop coherent and specialized photography collections.
The catalogue includes new publications, rare and out-of-print titles, monographs, retrospectives, self-published works, signed copies, and editions produced directly by photographers through their own imprints. The selection reflects a sustained commitment to photography as a form of visual narration, where images construct meaning beyond text.
Although rooted in the Gràcia neighbourhood of Barcelona, Dartbooks serves an international audience. Its community includes collectors, professionals, and institutions from France, the United Kingdom, Japan, and beyond, both through the physical space and the online platform.
Dartbooks understands the photobook not merely as an object of consumption, but as a cultural artifact that documents artistic practices, historical contexts, and personal visions. The bookshop functions simultaneously as a place of discovery, an archive in constant growth, and a point of connection between photographers, publishers, and readers.
Details
Number of books
2
Subject
Art
Book title
El mar de Sorolla
Author/ Illustrator
Joaquin Sorolla
Condition
Very good
Artist
Joaquin Sorolla
Publication year oldest item
2014
Height
53 cm
Edition
1st Edition, Limited edition
Width
41 cm
Language
Spanish
Original language
Yes
Publisher
Artika
Binding/ Material
Hardback
Extras
Slipcase, Tipped in plates
Number of pages
350
Style
Impressionism, Luminism
