Dimensions: support: 760 x 557 mm
Copyright: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: This is Sir William Orpen's portrait, "Anita," housed at the Tate. I'm struck by her gaze – averted, thoughtful. What do you see in this piece, considering its historical context? Curator: Orpen painted this during a period of significant social upheaval. The portrait challenges conventional representations of women. Note how her gaze refuses the viewer’s implicit demand, disrupting traditional power dynamics in portraiture. What do you make of that? Editor: It's a subtle act of resistance, isn’t it? I hadn’t considered that aspect. Curator: Precisely. It reflects the changing role of women in society and the artist's attempt to capture that shift on canvas. Editor: I'll definitely remember to look beyond the surface and consider the social context.
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Anita Bartle, the sitter in this early portrait by Orpen, was a journalist and author in Dublin. At the time he painted it, Orpen had just returned from a visit to the Prado in Madrid, where he had studied portrait sketches by Rubens. His training at the Slade in the 1890s had been in drawing rather than painting. He wanted to try a modern version of Rubens's direct technique, and used this portrait of a friend as an exercise. Orpen uses only red, with black and white, and leaves visible the brushstrokes, in the manner of an oil sketch. He later gave the portrait to the sitter as a wedding present. Gallery label, September 2004
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