Joaquín Sorolla and Francisco Pons Arnau

FRANCISCO PONS ARNAU (Valencia, 1886 - Madrid, 1955).
Case with Sorolla's book and 8 photographic crystals painted by Pons Arnau.
Unique edition of 100 copies. Copy 9/100.
Numbered and signed by the publisher: the painter Francisco Pons Arnau.
Measurements: 46 x 39 x 10 cm (case).
The painter Francisco Pons Arnau, son-in-law of Joaquín Sorolla, was one of the most outstanding disciples of the great Valencian artist, married, in turn, with one of the daughters of the master. The work presented here is an exceptional piece due to the few copies preserved. They are photographic crystals of Sorolla's paintings, painted on the back in oil by Pons Arnau, who sought to create a book with good color reproductions, taking into account the limited development of color photographs at that time. However, the high cost and the time involved in the elaboration of this project led to its discontinuation. It is, then, a book bound in parchment and eight photographic crystals, mounted in passe-partout and protected by glass, in which Pons Arnaú reproduced emblematic paintings by Sorolla. The book has an introductory text by Antonio Méndez Casal.
Among the genres that the painter Pons Arnau worked in, portraits and genre themes stood out. Pons Arnau's portraits captured the psychology of the character, especially those representing María Sorolla, where he focused on the beauty of the woman. Trained alongside Joaquín Sorolla, he made trips to Tangiers and Brazil, participating in the National Exhibitions of Rio de Janeiro. On the other hand, his work was internationally known, as he exhibited in places such as New York, Havana, Chile and Argentina. The exhibition he held at the Museum of Modern Art in Madrid in 1928 was one of the most outstanding in his artistic career, as well as the 1944 National Fine Arts Exhibition in Barcelona, in which he participated along with other artists.