The Art of Sir William
Orpen
The dazzling Irish
painter created portraits with an amazing force
of precision.
 ne
of my favorite artists has always been the great
Irish painter Sir William Orpen (1878 - 1931).
His masterful portraits are extraordinarily
vivid, the combined product of superb draftsmanship,
rich color, and an unerring control of tonal
values. He was first and foremost a painter—the strong, decisive brushstrokes are
placed with athletic vigor and uncanny accuracy.
There never seems to be an ounce of hesitancy
or indecision—every stroke registers
like a clear, precise note of music. I offer
four examples for you to study:
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4. The Most Reverend Cosmo Gordon
Lang, Archbishop of Canterbury
In the portrait of the Archbishop
of Canterbury (we could not find
a color reproduction of this very
striking portrait) the artist again
selects a most difficult and demanding
light and shade pattern. Notice
that, again, there are two sources
of light on the head. The very subtle
shadow tones occur down the centre
axis of the face. If you don't think
this is difficult to paint, try
it! The treatment of the fabrics
is noteworthy.
Oil
on canvas
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