''The Return from Fishing: Hauling the Boat'' (''french: Retour de la pêche: halage de la barque''), ('' es, El regreso de la pesca: remolcando el barco'') is an oil on canvas by the Spanish painter

Joaquín Sorolla Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida ( va, Joaquim Sorolla i Bastida, 27 February 1863 – 10 August 1923) was a Spanish Valencian painter. Sorolla excelled in the painting of portraits, landscapes and monumental works of social and historical themes. H ...

in 1894. Large in size (265 x 403.5 cm) it has been exhibited at the

Musée d'Orsay The Musée d'Orsay ( , , ) ( en, Orsay Museum) is a museum in Paris, France, on the Left Bank of the Seine. It is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, a Beaux-Arts railway station built between 1898 and 1900. The museum holds mainly French a ...

since 1977. The painting depicts the return of a fishing boat with a lateen sail. Two oxen tow the boat on a beach surrounded by fishermen.

History

The canvas was acquired by the French State in 1895 at the

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon ...

for 6000 francs. It was successively exhibited at the

Musée du Luxembourg The Musée du Luxembourg () is a museum at 19 rue de Vaugirard in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. Established in 1750, it was initially an art museum located in the east wing of the Luxembourg Palace (the matching west wing housed the Marie de ...

, the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

(1922), the

Musée national d'art moderne The Musée National d'Art Moderne (; "National Museum of Modern Art") is the national museum for modern art of France. It is located in Paris and is housed in the Centre Pompidou in the 4th arrondissement of the city. In 2021 it ranked 10th in t ...

(1946) until 1977 when it was attributed to the Louvre and since then exhibited at the Musée d'Orsay. The painting has been exhibited internationally many times, including notably: *''Salon de la Société des artistes français'' - palais des Champs Elysées - Paris, 1895 *''Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida'' - IBM Gallery of science and art - New York, 1989 *''Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida'' - The Saint Louis Gallery - Saint Louis, 1989 *''Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida'' - San Diego Museum of Art - San Diego, 1989 *''Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida'' - Institut Valencià d'Art Modern - Valencia, 1989 - 1990 *''Sargent-Sorolla'' - Fundación Caja Madrid - Madrid, 2006 - 2007 *''Sargent-Sorolla'' - Petit Palais -

Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris The Petit Palais (; en, Small Palace) is an art museum in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France. Built for the 1900 Exposition Universelle ("universal exhibition"), it now houses the City of Paris Museum of Fine Arts (''Musée des beaux-arts ...

- Paris, 2007 *''Joaquin Sorolla 1863-1923'' - Museo Nacional del Prado - Madrid, 2009 *''L'Espagne entre deux siècles de Zuloaga à Picasso'' - musée de l'Orangerie - Paris, 2011 - 2012 *''Joaquín Sorolla. Spaniens Meister des Lichts'' - :de:Kunsthalle der Hypo-Kulturstiftung - Munich, 2016 *''Sorolla. Un peintre espagnol à Paris'' - :fr:Musée des Impressionnismes Giverny - Giverny, 2016 *''Sorolla: Spanish Master of Light'' - The National Gallery - London, 2019

Description

The scene takes place by the sea, when a fishing boat returns to El Cabañal beach, in

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...

. In the center of the composition, two oxen in the foreground pull a Catalan boat. The flapping sail is inflated by the wind and seems to help them. On the left in the foreground, a fisherman waits with a plank, probably the one on which the boat will be placed when the time comes. Another sailor is seated on the neck of one of the oxen which he seems to be guiding. In the background, in the shadows, another sailor is watching in the boat. Finally, in the background, in the light, a last fisherman in the boat adjusts a sheet so that the wind facilitates the maneuver. The entire composition stands out against blue backgrounds (sea below, sky above). Sorolla brings out bursts of light from the chiaroscuros caused by the shadow of the sail.

Reception

The painting was a resounding success with city dwellers seduced by “its Mediterranean atmosphere ..the manual work and liveliness”. The painter received the highest distinction awarded at the exhibition, and the canvas was purchased by the Musée du Luxembourg.

References

{{reflist 1894 paintings Paintings in the Musée d'Orsay Impressionist paintings Paintings by Joaquín Sorolla Maritime paintings