The Skipping Rope — History & Facts
A young girl in a striped dress leaps across a sunlit path, her skipping rope caught mid-air as she moves in front of a round garden pond. Her hair is tied back with a red ribbon, and her shadow stretches across the sandy ground, echoing her lively motion. To the left, another girl dressed in white with a blue sash runs around the pond, her arms extended and her feet barely touching the ground, suggesting the rapid pace of their game.
A tree trunk rises between the two girls, its shadow falling diagonally across the foreground and dividing the composition. Behind the pond, a third child in a white dress and wide-brimmed hat stands watching, her figure partly obscured by the dappled shade of the surrounding trees. The pond itself reflects patches of sky and foliage, with a small fountain at its center creating gentle ripples on the water's surface.
The background is filled with dense greenery and tall tree trunks, painted in loose, energetic brushstrokes that suggest filtered sunlight and the lushness of a garden setting. Bright sunlight floods the scene, casting crisp shadows and highlighting the pale tones of the girls' dresses against the warm, ochre ground. Touches of blue, green, and lavender animate the clothing and the pond's edge, while the brushwork remains lively and visible, especially in the rendering of light and shadow.
The composition is carefully balanced, with the figures arranged in a dynamic arc around the pond, their movements leading the eye through the space. Joaquín Sorolla painted this work in 1911, during a period when he was associated with the Post-impressionism movement.
Sources: Wikidata Q59313447
More Artworks by Joaquín Sorolla

Sad Inheritance
Joaquín Sorolla

Walk on the Beach
Joaquín Sorolla

Mother
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Corner of the Garden, Alcazar, Sevilla
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Fishing Boats On The Beach, Valencia
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Camino De La Pesca. Valencia (Setting Out To Sea. Valencia)
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Vuelta De La Pesca. Playa De Valencia (The Return From Fishing, Valencia Beach)
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The Gardens at the Sorolla Family House
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Monte Ulía, San Sebastián
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Barcas En La Playa
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