The photographer Antonio García Peris was Sorolla’s mentor at the beginning of his career. Sorolla would eventually marry his daughter, Clotilde, and portrayed him on several occasions. In this piece, the painter captured the warmth and attachment he felt for his father-in-law. The relationship between the two was close ever since García Peris provided the artist with a place to paint and financial assistance in exchange for lighting photos. This contact with photography influenced the framing of Sorolla’s paintings, and it is known that he often used photos as back-up support when executing portraits like this.

The way the figure is arranged seated on a chair in a three-quarter view is much favoured by the artist, who had used this composition often, although in this piece the attitude of the sitter stands out for its spontaneous feel as he gazes at the spectator with a calm and kind expression. To covey the personality of the emblematic photographer, Sorolla focuses our attention on the face, especially the eyes. At the same time, he also pays great care to the forehead, something he was particularly fond of in his male portraits.

In this portrait, the warmth of the flesh tones, treated with vigorous yet light brushwork, adds convincing truthfulness and naturalism. The range of grey tones used both in the garments of the sitter and also in the background, which vibrates around the main character with ochre and green tones, lends a serene harmony to the whole.