This portrait of my mother, Sofia Torga, is very special. It expresses her conviction and her purpose in life: the search for beauty through love, discipline and work.

It was painted by a friend of my grandparents called Pedro Bueno—one of the society painters of the time—and I imagine that she must have been around 35 to 37 years old. My mother was born in Seville and lived most of her life in Andalusia. She was brought up in a very particular world—surrounded by culture and creativity—and this, together with her enormous sensitivity and perception, made her a very special person. She was the one who transmitted to me the pleasure of reading, music and a curiosity for beauty. I’m convinced that it was in her parents’ house in Ronda, Malaga, that the seed of my future as a g...