Art History Lecture w/ Tom Richards – Rubens, Sorolla: Twin Sprits?

An Installment in the Art History related content on The FAA Collective Patreon

Dear Patrons,

Thank you for your support! This week we have a fantastic lecture by Tom Richards, Assistant Director of The Florence Academy of Art, on two great painters Sir Peter Paul Rubens (1557–1640) and Joaquín Sorolla (1863–1923).

At first glance you might think there is little to connect these artists separated by nearly 200 years, from different countries, and with observably different styles. However, with the expert guidance of Richards, we learn to see how truly similar in spirit Rubens and Sorolla were. Exploring more than just their subjects of paintings, we dive into how they taught themselves through copying the masters, their influences, and their personal lives. Both painters had deep connections to their families, depicting their wives and children in several works, and they shared a rare and intense determination to live in homes full of their individual and particular aesthetics, shaping their worlds around them.

Sir Peter Paul Rubens was born in Germany in 1557, and died in Belgium in 1640 at the age of 62. He was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern day Belgium). Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida (in (Valencian: Joaquim Sorolla i Bastida) was born in 1863 in Valencia, and died in Ceredilla (near Madrid, Spain) in 1923 at the age of 60.

From Antwerp to Madrid, together we look inside inside the homes, artworks, and lives of two people who have left great marks in the history of art. Although they never met each other, Sorolla and Rubens lived lives that uncommonly mirrored that of the other, and both left works behind to inspire and move people generations after their deaths.

Throughout this lecture you will also hear commentary by Advanced Painting Director at The Florence Academy of Art, Ramiro Sanchez.

We hope you thoroughly enjoy this lecture!

More about Tom:

Tom Richards was born in London in 1982. In addition to his experience as a painter he has an MA in Art History from the University of St Andrews, graduating in 2005. Since then Tom has divided his time between London and Florence. In recent years he has exhibited his work in London and undertaken numerous commissions in Europe and beyond. Before joining The Florence Academy of Art he trained extensively with Charles H. Cecil, a former colleague of Daniel Graves.

To view his work please visit:

Instagram: @tominflorence

Website: www.tawrichards.com

More about Ramiro:

Angel Ramiro Sanchez was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela. At age 14 he began five years of apprenticeship with the realist painter, Abdon J. Romero, an eminent specialist in murals for churches and public buildings. In 1993, a study grant from Mgr. Gustavo Ocando Yamarte, Founder Niños Cantores, enabled him to travel to Florence, Italy, where he studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 1997. At the same time, he was enrolled at The Florence Academy of Art where he received a diploma in Painting. He has been teaching at The Florence Academy of Art since 1997, and is currently Director of the Advanced Painting Program.

To view his work please visit:

Instagram: @ramirosanchez_art

FAA Alumni Gallery: Angel Ramiro Sanchez