International studio (41.1910)

Sir William Quitter Orchardson, R.A.

mighty intellect must work, and bring its power to them. And to reflect that on these the frail hand
bear on the task of relating history with the same wrought almost to the moment when it clasped
untiring energy that once it spent in making it. that of death ! It is as though he had said to

And now a word about Orchardson, the painter the imperious angel, " Stay but one moment
of portraits. If one's enthusiasm is aroused by the longer; I have my task to finish," and then put
subject pictures what shall one say of those great forth with perfect calmness and power all his
works in the other branch of painting that were the strength and sweetness.

creations of the master's brush and mind ? The History proves that the great painter — more
expression " brush and mind " slipped from my pen often, perhaps, than the men of other arts—con-
unweighed, but, written, gave me pause ; for that tinues to the end gaining in power and beauty,
very obvious and necessary truism suddenly made but it would be difficult to find a case which
me realise that no other painter has perhaps ever more strikingly exemplifies the fact than that of
exhibited such qualities of mind in his portraits, these works. There is no shadow of doubt that
Always magnificent as mere likenesses, they contain so long as the art of painting retains its powers
that convincing quality which makes one feel of attraction Orchardson's pictures will enjoy that
assured, though one may not know or have ever deathless fame which only comes to the highest
seen the originals, that here we have human docu- and the best. Through all the modern " move-
ments. Orchardson brought into play all his ments " in art his great genius, compound of sweet-
highest powers when he painted
portraits, and one felt that the
task must have been most con-
genial to him, especially when his
mind was en rapport with that of
his sitter. Even in cases where
sympathy was lacking, and where
perhaps the subject was not one
he would have chosen for himself,
I have imagined—and this may
be wholly my own imagining—that
there was something I can only
describe as a subtly sardonic quest
for some salient point in the char-
acter of the sitter which was seized
upon and fixed for ever on the
canvas for a few to read.

It would serve no purpose to
enlarge here on all his portraits I
might name, so many are fresh in
the minds of those who may read
this article; but of the last ones
now in the Royal Academy it is
pathetically interesting to speak.
Never more will the visitor to the
Academy exhibition pause with a
deep-drawn breath of satisfaction
and delight, and say "The Orchard-
son"! Let all who visit the pie-
sent exhibition mark well those
works —the last efforts of the
master's hand — and strive to
realise that the wizard brush which
painted them is laid aside for ever.
Supreme they are, exquisite the

, j . ..... PORTRAIT OK MRS. PATTISON BY W. Q. ORCHARDSON,

only word to use in describing {By permission of Robert TaiHson, Esq.)

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