Sorolla began to devote himself entirely to the practice in 1900, painting landscapes, views of cities, studies of nature, seascapes and garden scenes in which he demonstrated his tremendous skill in capturing the effects of light. One such painting reproduced here, Sewing the Sail, exemplifies Sorolla's skill with light in the abstract. A pure white sail captures the shimmering pattern of the sun through garden plants. Excluding the plants, their pots, the seamstresses and the bright pastel-colored seaside landscape in the background, the sail on close examination betrays Sorolla's complex coloration that gives the viewer the impression of a simple white sail with sun and shade. Joaquín Sorolla is unquestionably an essential book and the most complete work of reference on this artist from Valencia. It includes an insightful and in-depth essay by Blanca Pons-Sorolla, some 300 reproductions of his most important pieces, and an illustrated chronology.