Jose Navarro y Llorens

Spanish (1867-1923)

José Navarro y Llorens was born in Godella, Spain and studied at the Escuela de Bellas Artes and Academia San Carlos in Valencia.  He participated in the 1895 National Exposition, where he earned an award for his submission, and continued to pursue an artistic career in landscapes, marines, and genre paintings.  Navarro, like his contemporaries, Joaquín Sorolla (1863-1923) and Mariano Fortuny (1838-1874), painted in loose, impressionist brushstrokes to capture the unique light of their native Spain.  Navarro also traveled extensively in Europe and North Africa; he was particularly attracted to Morocco where he painted some of his finest works. Many of his works received considerable attention in England and the United States, as well as in Latin America.  Following his death in 1923, the Sala Vilches in Madrid organized a solo show of his works, evidence of the continuing popularity and success of Navarro’s paintings.