Anita Bartle, The Red Shawl – William Orpen Print

Orpen painted Anita Bartle twice. The first version hangs in the Tate Gallery in London. This is the second — more elaborate, more direct, the sitter turned toward the viewer with her hand raised, the coral beads removed, something unspoken being said.

Anita Bartle was a writer and journalist who had known Orpen since his Slade days. She had bought his work in instalments when he was an unknown student. By 1905, when this was painted, he was becoming the most talked-about portraitist in London — but Anita was still a friend, still a visitor to the Orpen household, still someone he painted not because he was paid to but because he wanted to.

The red shawl dominates everything. Orpen had just returned from Madrid and the Prado, saturated in Velázquez and the Spanish masters. The influence is unmistakeable — the warm ground, the rich fabric, the figure emerging from darkness. This is an Irish painter at the height of his powers, working at the edge of what portraiture could do.

This archival giclée print is made on heavyweight fine art paper with fade-resistant inks, built to last.

Free worldwide shipping. Delivered in 2–5 business days.