William Orpen
, Irish, 1878-1931
Title
The Holy WellDate1916
MediumTempera on canvas
Dimensions
234 x 186 cm
Signedlower left: Orpen
Credit LinePurchased, 1971
Object numberNGI.4030
DescriptionIn this large painting Orpen seeks to counter the romantic view of Irish piety and the idealisation of the western peasant that were prevalent among writers, artists and political ideologues at the time. He derived the subject from the tradition of pattern days, when people would gather at a holy site, very often a well, associated with a particular saint. The importance that Orpen attached to the painting was evident from the large number of precise drawings he produced in preparation for it. The model for the young figure standing on top of the well (and the man in profile on the right) is Orpen’s studio assistant Seán Keating. A regular visitor to the west of Ireland, Keating had often encouraged Orpen to travel there himself. Here, he wears items of traditional costume that he had given to Orpen after a visit to the Aran Islands in 1915. The inclusion of figures in various stages of undress, submitting dutifully in the presence of a monk, was undoubtedly intended to shock. Orpen’s use throughout the composition of a new ‘marble medium’, also contributed to the painting’s impact. Flat and opaque, it enhances the decorative quality and symbolic character of the work. As Orpen was a master of realism, this fresco-like painting represented a significant departure in his work, and a response perhaps to more avant-garde movements of the time.
March 2016
ProvenanceCollection Mrs St George, 1916; purchased, Agnew Somerville Gallery, 1971 Exhibition HistoryNew English Art Club, London, 1916
William Orpen 1878-1931, A Centenary Exhibition, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 1 November - 15 December 1978
Naked Truth: The Nude in Irish Art, Crawford Art Gallery, Cork, 13 July - 28 October 2018
Finished work:/Preparatory work:
