Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida bucked the stereotype of “starving artist” by reaching a considerable level of acclaim during his lifetime, even if he came from pitiful beginnings.

He and his little sister were orphaned in their native Valencia, Spain when they were just babies. Their parents most likely died of cholera, and they were raised by their mother’s side of the family.

Something of a child prodigy, Sorolla started painting seriously at age 15 and had opportunities to study in Madrid, Rome, and Paris. The Impressionists were going strong at the time, and he became peripherally associated with them, although his style was a little more restrained (less blobby) than some of the greats. Even if he preferred more focus and refinement in his imagery, he certainly didn’t shy away from color, which he learned to master by working in a controlled palette. His juicy hues and dazzling representations of light make you want to put those paintings in a blender and drink them with a straw.

He occasionally did illustration jobs, but he also traveled the world making a killing on commissions for fancy clients. A lot of his paintings have a fluffy, atmospheric vibe (you know how those Impressionists loved to paint dreamy landscapes and blissed out vacationers). But sometimes he gets so, so real--like in his portrayal of naked children with polio struggling along the beach with child-sized canes, guided by a somber monk in Sad Inheritance.

Dude produced over 2,000 paintings before he died of a stroke at age 60. That’s at least 44 paintings for each year of his career!