Capturing the Moment (Biarritz)

A woman in a white dress sits on the sandy beach, gazing at a small device in her hand. Behind her, the shoreline stretches out, dotted with people relaxing.

It was the summer of 1906. The painter Joaquín Sorolla was in Biarritz, France, fresh from a successful solo exhibition in Paris.
He was vacationing on this coast with his family.

The woman holds a state-of-the-art Kodak compact camera.

Released in 1902, it was quite a luxury item at the time. The woman is said to be either his wife, Clotilde, or his eldest daughter, María.

Photography was always present in Sorolla's life. In his youth, he worked in the studio of Antonio García Peris, who would later become his father-in-law. In the darkroom, he witnessed a fleeting moment of light transform into an image. It was there that he met and married Clotilde, the photographer's daughter.

He was a painter who moved his brush with astonishing speed.

"Every effect is momentary."

He stated that he had to paint quickly for this reason. His family was attempting to record this summer with the latest device. Peering through the viewfinder, adjusting the lens. Just a brief moment before the shutter clicks.