William Orpen, RA, RI, RHA (1878-1931) "Portrait of the Art...

Hammer

€16,000

William Orpen, RA, RI, RHA (1878-1931)

"Portrait of the Artist’s Wife, Grace Knewstub,1912," O.O.C.,
58 x 36cms (23" x 14").

Signed and dated ‘Orpen Dublin 1912’

 

Depicting the head and shoulders of a young woman—almost certainly the artist’s wife Grace Knewstub—this portrait by William Orpen, painted in Dublin in 1912, dates from a time when significant events were taking place in their lives together. While the head is well-finished, Orpen blocked out the area of the dress with broad brushstrokes of brown and black, evidently with the intention of finishing the portrait at a later date. However Grace’s eyes are downcast, and she appears to have been a reluctant sitter. Her hair is not combed, nor is she wearing the fashionable clothes and jewellery that adorned so many of Orpen’s sitters. Nonetheless, the portrait shows the artist’s brilliance in capturing not only a likeness, but also a sense of life, a gift he shared with his contemporary Augustus John. This is no formulaic society portrait; Grace is instantly recognisable as an individual, with a strong personality. That the painting remained unfinished is no surprise. That same year Orpen painted one of his finest society portraits, that of his long-term lover, the wealthy American Mrs. Evelyn St. George. In January of that year St. George had given birth to their child, Vivien. This would have caused scandal in the middle-class Dublin milieu in which Orpen had grown up, and immense upset to his wife Grace, with whom he had two children. The ramifications would have spread to England, where Grace’s sister was married to the artist William Rothenstein. Also dating from 1912 are Orpen’s Portrait of Gardenia with a Riding Whip, depicting the teenage daughter of Evelyn St. George, and several portraits of another American, Vera Brewster, who had married the Irish writer Joseph Hone and lived next door to the Orpens. The artist was clearly fascinated by Vera, who sat for him on several occasions that year: in The Angler, she holds a fishing rod, while in The Blue Hat, she is wearing fashionable headgear. In 1912 also, his portrait of Vera, The Chinese Shawl, was exhibited at the New English Art Club and later purchased by the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne. Other portraits from that summer include Portrait of Kit, his daughter, a cheerful young girl sitting with her arms folded and wearing a white knitted hat and scarf. Nevertheless, amidst all these coquettish poses, arch expressions and fashionable accessories, the portrait of his wife Grace stands out for its down-to-earth directness and honesty.

 

Born in Stillorgan, Co. Dublin, William Orpen was the son of a solicitor, while his mother Anne was the eldest daughter of the Rev. Charles Caulfeild, Bishop of Nassau. After attending the Metropolitan School of Art, he went on to the Slade School of Art in London, winning the composition prize of 1899 with The Play Scene from Hamlet (Houghton Hall, Norfolk). From the outset, Orpen eschewed experimentation and flirtations with Modernism. He revered seventeenth-century painters such as Rembrandt, Velasquez and Chardin, and sought to emulate their Realist style. In terms of his own peers, he admired the work of Augustus John, and joined the New English Art Club. His Homage to Manet depicts members of the NEAC, sitting below Manet’s portrait of Eva Gonzalès. In 1902, in cooperation with John, he opened an art school in Chelsea and also began to teach at the Metropolitan School in Dublin, a position he held until 1914. He was a friend of the collector Hugh Lane, with whom he travelled to Paris and Madrid in 1905. Three years later he began to exhibit regularly at the Royal Academy in London. Elected a member of the Royal Hibernian Academy, he rapidly became one of the most successful portrait painters in London and Dublin, being overwhelmed with commissions. Many of Orpen’s portraits are painted in his characteristic bravura style, and yet he seems to have grown to dislike the elite social circles in which he moved. On the outbreak of World War I, he was appointed an Official War Artist and was given the rank of Major in the British Army. Some of his best paintings were done as a war artist, and his images of the Somme, of injured soldiers and ruined cities, remain today amongst the most powerful works of art depicting that conflict, while his portraits of key negotiators at the Treaty of Versailles are a valuable record, reflecting also his privately-held views on the politics of the time. After the war ended in 1918, Open resumed his successful portrait practice. Although he did not return to Ireland after 1915, his artistic legacy at the Metropolitan School of Art continued for many years.

Provenance: Originally owned by Lady Yarrow (née Eleanor Barnes) a leading promoter of the Arts and Crafts Revival, this drawing was gifted to the McDonnell family of Dalguise in Monkstown, Co. Dublin.

Dr. Peter Murray, 2022