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"The untimely death of Sir William
Orpen has been a blow to modern British
art. We have lost a painter who, while
he had already achieved fame, would have
carried the laurels of the British school
of to-day to a still higher level had
he lived. His work shows an amazing force
of precision in the realization of individual
character. He never failed to tell you
all about his sitter—all that could
be told in paint by the cleverest hand
and the keenest eye. The face of the man
before him was like the page of an open
book which he read with astonishing insight
He made a literal transcript which he
handed on to anyone who cared to know.
"It is the physical character which
is of interest to the painter, but he
knows that if he can but get this skin-deep
truth he has got everything Technically
Orpen was splendidly equipped There was
no slashing sleight-of-hand like Boldini
There was neither the carefree dexterity
of Hals, nor the facile skill of Sargent,
but he had his own unerring precision
of touch which gave him the proficiency
necessary to produce his masterpieces
"Even with his Irish sense of humour
Orpen always told the truth. This is real
portraiture."
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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: