Beschreibung:

Artist: Sir William Orpen RHA (1878-1931) Title: Man Working before a Windmill Signature: signed lower right Medium: watercolour and ink on paper Size: 26½ x 23cm (10.4 x 9.1in) Framed Size: 47.4 x 43.5cm (18.7 x 17.1in) Provenance: Private Collection a#morebtn { color: #de1d01; } a#morebtn:hover { cursor: pointer;} Although in his autobiographical An Onlooker in France, William Orpen describes windmills at Mont Cassel near Ypres, it is likely that that the scene depicted here was sketched in Norfolk, England, rather than on the Continent. The light wash of blue watercolour suggests the essential form of mill, ... Read more Sir William Orpen Lot 3 - 'Man Working before a Windmill' Estimate: €1,500 - €2,500 Although in his autobiographical An Onlooker in France, William Orpen describes windmills at Mont Cassel near Ypres, it is likely that that the scene depicted here was sketched in Norfolk, England, rather than on the Continent. The light wash of blue watercolour suggests the essential form of mill, house and figure, while the outlines are delineated and reinforced with black ink, rapidly sketched, in a style reminiscent of the drawings of Rembrandt. The windmill has two blades, rather than the more usual four, and appears to be slightly ramshackle. At its base, a man is pushing a wheelbarrow. Orpen was a brilliant draughtsman, able to capture the essence of a scene or a figure in a few light brush strokes, and the style of this watercolour suggests it is a relatively early work. Born in Dublin, Orpen had studied at the Metropolitan School of Art and later at the Slade School of Art in London, where his contemporaries included Augustus John and Wyndham Lewis In 1902, in cooperation with John, he opened an art school in Chelsea and began also to teach at the Metropolitan School in Dublin, a position he held until 1914. A much sought-after and wealthy portrait painter, 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 to the Royal Hibernian Academy in 1907, twelve years later Orpen became a member of the RA. In 1915 he enlisted in the British Army and two years later was appointed an Official War Artist and posted to France. His paintings and drawings of the war in the trenches are among his finest works, while his portraits of staff officers and key negotiators at the Treaty of Versailles are a valuable artistic record of that time, and reflect 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 continued for many years. Peter Murray, March 2021