The Young Amphibians

The Young Amphibians from 1903, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, depicts boys on the beach at Valencia — figures at the edge of water, half in and half out of the sea, caught in the moment of transition between land and water that Sorolla found endlessly compelling. He returned repeatedly to children playing in water, particularly at the Valencian beaches where he spent summers, finding in the subject the combination of bright light, active movement, and human form that best suited his luminous technique. Philadelphia's collection of Sorolla is exceptional for an American institution, reflecting the city's connection to the Spanish-speaking world.

The wet bodies of the boys at the water's edge create the reflective surfaces — glistening, sun-drenched skin against the deep blue Mediterranean — that Sorolla exploited to maximum luminous effect. The paint is applied rapidly and confidently, with no reworking of the initial impressions.