Book excerpt: Joaquín Sorolla (born in Valencia 1863 - died in Cercedilla 1923) is one of the most successful Spanish painters ever. He was a genius in capturing the essence of the scene he was painting. Joaquín Sorolla painted the most wonderful beach scenes, many of them with oxen towing fishing boats. One thing that will surprise you. In spite of Joaquín Sorolla being Spain's most famous painter of beach scenes and fishing boats, there does not appear to be a single seagull in his paintings. So, what animals did he paint? Did he paint birds? Apart from the oxen as draught animals, he painted several horses, pigs, a donkey and sheep when he painted types of people and local dress which made up his vision of Spain, diverse and colorful yet united. More privately, he painted dogs and a cat as pets, superbly catching their soul and character.