There are many famous people who have visited Dénia throughout history, including various painters who were inspired by it for their works, such as Joaquín Sorolla and Rafael Monleón. What impressions did these artists take away from the capital of the country? the Marina Alta?
Joaquín Sorolla and his admiration for the raisin business
On October 6, 1896, Joaquín Sorolla was in Dénia. His stay in the capital of the region was recorded in a letter he wrote to his wife Clotilde García after arriving in the town by train via the Valencia-Gandia-Dénia connection. This is recorded on the website Sorolla in Jávea.
A curious fact is that the painter went to the city with a letter of recommendation from the Dianense historian Roque Chabás in case he needed anything.
The famous Valencian painter visited the Marina Alta on different occasions throughout his life and passed through towns such as Xàbia and Gata de Gorgos. On that occasion, the painter had gone to Dénia, as well as to Xàbia, with the aim of seeking inspiration for a collection that Rafael Errázuriz, a Chilean politician and diplomat, had commissioned him to create, related to the world of wine. Since both municipalities had an extensive network of raisin export businesses, they were the perfect visual source for the artist.
However, Sorolla did not begin his letter with a pleasant description of the city: "Dénia is ugly as an art in general, and in most of its details, everything is brand new and nothing remains but a dilapidated 16th century castle," said the painter.
On the contrary, the Valencian artist was enchanted by the landscape: "The situation is admirable, mountains and sea, houses on the very edge of the water, an admirable fishing district, where there are many paintings to be made when possible, a Montgó, colossally picturesque and grandiose," he said.
On the subject of his trip, the raisin business, he was fascinated and described the atmosphere as "a magnificent picture." "There are groups of 300 women working, with their many outfits, children, men, all against a whitewashed background, some of them wear flowers in their hair, which gives an air of joy to the work, they sing well, and they make some really pretty ones, this is what excites me about Dénia, and probably when I return from Jávea "I will stop to make some notes, so that God willing next September I can paint a big picture," he concluded in the letter.
Later, from this trip to Dénia and Xàbia, paintings such as The Vine Press (1897, Transporting the grapes (1900), or Boxing Raisins, Javea (1901).
Rafael Monleón and the Dianense coast
Rafael Monleón y Torres was a multifaceted Valencian artist (painter, engraver, ceramist, model maker, designer), specialised in coastal and naval landscapes, and who also left his mark on Dénia. He left his vision of the city, not in writing like Sorolla, but through various drawings.
Among them, around 1870, he portrayed the Baix la Mar neighborhood, the area of Les Rotes, the English cemetery or Marines.
His drawings give a general view of the Dianense coast, as they did not go into details regarding the landscape. Monleón, as an expert on ships, focused his paintings on the boats themselves and left aside the surroundings.
Through these, a portrait of 19th century Dénia can be created, where tall buildings were not yet present and the natural landscape prevailed.
Dénia has always been and will always be a source of inspiration for artists, painters and writers who reflect the passing of time in the town in their works.
Fonts
Sorolla's letter to Clotilde, by David Guty. Sorolla in Jávea.
The Dénia of yesterday seen by an almost forgotten painter. A seaside stroll with the sketches of Rafael Monleón Torres. By Javier Calvo Puig. History of Dénia.