William Orpen a wish..

If I had a spare £361,250 I would have purchased this painting by Irish artist William Orpen that recently sold in Christies, London. I have loved his paintings since I was a schoolgirl. The sale was actually a few days before my birthday so I thought maybe my darling other half was going to surprise me........alas, it was not so. The subject is Irish Tenor Count John McCormack. I love the relaxed posture, the creases in his suit, his hand tucked in to his belt loop. It feels like a snapshot but it must have taken many sittings and hours upon hours of labour to achieve. The sheet of music in his hand is obviously a nod to his profession but it is so subtle I didn't even notice it at first. The palette is so subdued and calming, I would like to take it and design a room around it, maybe a bathroom. Walls the colour of his linen suit with glossy white paintwork. Tiles of a blue grey lustre with a deep black trim....... it would be a bathroom in a Georgian home of course
.....maybe this one and we could hang the painting on the entrance wall.