Details

Name

William Newenham Montague Orpen

Brief Biography

1878 - 1931, British / Irish

Occupation

Artist

Description

Orpen’s artistic inclination was that of a realist painter who admired Rembrandt, Chardin and Hogarth, all of who were confident and brilliant technicians. The sheer bravura of the brushwork is a joy to behold. An artist of such skill, however, soon becomes a highly successful society portrait painter, and this is what happened to Orpen. His early depictions of everyday life – humble interiors, genre scenes, washerwomen – gave way to elegant portrayals of the rich and famous of the extravagant Edwardian era. He was torn between his Irish roots and the English high society which adopted him and brought him success. His experience of the Great War, in which he was an official artist and recorded the peace treaty at Versailles, affected him badly, and his last years were spent unhappily. His success also bred jealousy, so that from being one of the most praised artists, knighted in 1918, he became one of the most reviled. Since he was not seen as avant-garde, progressive or revolutionary, posterity treated him dismissively as an establishment figure. Only recently has his reputation started to revive.