RRP: £37.00
You Save: £7.40 (20%)

FREE Delivery in the UK.

Only 1 left in stock (more on the way).

Dispatched from and sold by Amazon. Gift-wrap available.

Turn on 1-Click ordering for this browser

Dispatch to:

Select a delivery address:

Buy Used

£18.00

+ £2.80 UK delivery

Used: Like New | Details

Sold by Bob Hooker

Turn on 1-Click ordering for this browser

Have one to sell?

Sell on Amazon

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See all 2 images

William Orpen: Politics, Sex and Death Hardcover – 11 Feb 2005

by Robert Upstone (Author), R. F. Foster (Author), David Fraser Jenkins (Author)

8 customer reviews

See all 9 formats and editions Hide other formats and editions

Amazon Price

New from

Used from

Hardcover

"Please retry"

£29.60

£18.50

£13.17

Paperback

"Please retry"

—

£13.78

One of the great British artists of the first quarter of the twentieth century, Sir William Orpen (1878-1931) is an intriguing artist who, despite his career as a highly successful portrait painter, remains something of an outsider. Although Orpen is represented in many public collections in the UK, Ireland and the USA, his work does not fit easily into the conventional moulds of art history. This highly illustrated monograph critically reappraises an artist who, at the time of his death, was probably the best-known painter in Britain. T he book reveals the full variety of Orpen's work, from his revitalization of the nude and his conversation pieces to his extraordinary allegories and war paintings, and analyses the series of self-portraits that are a particular feature of his oeuvre. A Protestant born near Dublin, when Ireland was part of Britain, Orpen went to art school there before going on to the Slade in London, where he was one of the stars of its great period. Through his prestigious portrait commissions, membership of the Royal Academy and his knighthood, he became part of the British establishment, but always asserted his sense of Irish identity. His experiences as an official war artist haunted him and made him cynical of politicians. Although he painted brilliant portraits of these very men, and of generals and war heroes, he also produced some bitter allegories of the lives of soldiers that still appear disturbing and surreal. This major re-assessment of the artist accompanies a retrospective exhibition at the Imperial War Museum, London (27 January - 2 May 2005), and at the National Gallery of Art, Dublin.

William Orpen: Politics, Sex and Death

£29.60 FREE Delivery in the UK. Only 1 left in stock (more on the way). Dispatched from and sold by Amazon. Gift-wrap available.

Special offers and product promotions

Save 10% on selected children’s books, compliments of Amazon Family Promotion exclusive for Prime members .

Frequently bought together

Customers who bought this item also bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.

Imperial War Museum

9

Paperback
£9.99
Bruce Arnold

2

Hardcover
14 offers from £2.57
Sir William Orpen

4

Paperback
£6.90
Sue Malvern

2

Hardcover
£40.00
Bruce Arnold

1

Hardcover
9 offers from £22.57
Tai-Shan Schierenberg

13

Paperback
£15.90

Product details

Hardcover: 160 pages
Publisher: Philip Wilson Publishers Ltd; 1st Edition edition (11 Feb. 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0856675962
ISBN-13: 978-0856675966
Product Dimensions: 24.1 x 2.1 x 27.9 cm
Average Customer Review: 8 customer reviews
Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,316,379 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #8454 in Books > Art, Architecture & Photography > Architecture > Styles & Movements
- #20255 in Books > Art, Architecture & Photography > History of Art & Architecture
- #31723 in Books > Art, Architecture & Photography > Painting & Drawing

Would you like to tell us about a lower price?
If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support?

Product description

Review

'...a highly illustrated monograph on the undeservedly sidelined portraitist...'Daily Telegraph, December 2005.

About the Author

Robert Upstone, Curator of the exhibition, Roy Foster, University of Oxford, and David Fraser Jenkins, Senior Curator at the Tate Gallery, London..

What other items do customers buy after viewing this item?

An Onlooker in France 1917-1919 (Illustrated Edition) Paperback

Sir William Orpen

4

£6.90
Art from the First World War (Imperial War Museum) Paperback

Imperial War Museum

9

£9.99

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars

5 star		5
4 star		2
3 star		1
2 star		0
1 star		0

Write a customer review

See all 8 customer reviews

Top customer reviews

Much needed update for the artist

ByMon 30 June 2010

Format: Hardcover

This is an excellent overview on an important early twentienth century british artist. Orpen isn't revelatory or even moderately modernist with his use of paint but he is quirky and distinctly idosyncratic for a more traditional portrait painter, and it is this distinction that sets him apart from his peers John Lavery and other less renown society painters and as a painter who deserves our time and attention today.
It is partly due to the fact that Orpen is pigeonholed as a conventional society portrait painter that makes him abit of an enigma in the artworld. Despite his standing and fame in his own time Orpen is somewhat overlooked and undervalued by todays postmodern generation. That is way there is a real dearth of publications dedicated to him and his work. Making this book all the more valuable in my mind.
This book's greatest achievement is just the mere fact that it archives Orpens extensive output. One will see from there that Orpen's canon is more varied and speculative than one may expect from a 'portrait painter'. This coupled with three illuminating and informative essays makes this book an essential update for the Artist.

22 Comments 11 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

William Orpen book

ByPaul Jacksonon 24 December 2011

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Very nice book, full of sumpteous illustrations. Orpen was an excellent painter and probably somewhat underrated. Excellent if you like figurative art. Some of his paintings of the Great War are astonishing-as are his portraits

0Comment 4 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

excelenty written book abut Willim Orpen as a war artist. Plenty of relevant ilustrations

Byrose knox-peebleson 25 March 2013

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

See above.

Orpen is not a well-known artist today and where he is known, it is as a society portrait painter. He was much more than this - some of his paintings being more modern than expected.
His portraits are often beautiful, but he painted them to earn a very good living, and it is his war drawings and paintings that most represent his work

0Comment 3 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

An Unusual Perspective

ByP. J. Connollyon 4 July 2015

Format: Hardcover

William Orpen was a well known painter who spent a number of extended periods at the Western Front in 1917/18. He was there as a quasi official war artist who enjoyed considerable latitude as to where and when he spent his time. Due to his extensive high level connections he was able to evade various official efforts to control his output or activities. Although he was never in the front line he was close enough to see the results of the fighting and was under no illusions as to its nature or destructive power. Despite that he enjoyed good relations with GHQ and spent much time socialising with senior officers, including the CinC, Haig. Despite the occasional discomfort and the sheer dreariness of life near the Front he made himself comparatively comfortable and certainly did not share the discomforts and dangers of those on the front line.

As to his artistic output I find most of his general pictures rather mundane, albeit interesting. Where he comes into his own and what he is worth being remembered for are his portraits from privates through to Generals. His series of Airmen capture wonderfully well their youth, glamour and realisation of their likely fate. The Book has many illustrations of his work and is worth purchasing for these alone.

The Introduction is well done but Orpen's text itself did not really engage me. It is a portrait of its time and mentality and was certainly worth re-printing for a new audience to-day.

0Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Beautiful book

ByLinda Edmondsonon 1 May 2014

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

WWI in colour. What can I say? Very interesting subject - the idea of a war artist. Pictures of airmen, officies, soldiers and civilians that say far more than words. Colour drawing of a dogfight in the skies above is stunning. Beautiful 'coffee table book', especially given the 100th anniversary. Great present for anyone interested in WWI

0Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

A reproduction of William Orpen's 'An Onlooker in France', ...

ByÉimear O'Connoron 10 February 2016

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

A reproduction of William Orpen's 'An Onlooker in France', published after the First World War. This edition includes chapters by various specialists, and images of many of Orpen's war paintings and drawings. Essential reading for anyone interested in the era.

0CommentWas this review helpful to you?YesNo

Bill or Pen

ByMr. Mikey Bon 25 February 2016

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Unable to review - I ordered it for a relative

0CommentWas this review helpful to you?YesNo

Five Stars

ByBollo40on 20 December 2014

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Received with thanks

0CommentWas this review helpful to you?YesNo

Would you like to see more reviews about this item?

Go to Amazon.com to see all 2 reviews

Customer images

See all customer images

Look for similar items by category

Where's My Stuff?

track your recent orders
view or change your orders in Your Account

Delivery and Returns

see our delivery rates and policies
thinking of returning an item? (See our Returns Policy)

Need Help?

Forgot your password?
Buy Gift Cards.
still have questions? Visit our Help Pages

Amazon Music Stream millions of songs	AbeBooks Books, art & collectables	ACX Audiobook Publishing Made Easy	Amazon BuyVIP The European Shopping Club

Amazon Tickets Music, Theatre & Comedy	Amazon Web Services Scalable Cloud Computing Services	Audible Download Audio Books	Book Depository Books With Free Delivery Worldwide

DPReview Digital Photography	Goodreads Book reviews & recommendations	IMDb Movies, TV & Celebrities	Junglee.com Shop Online in India

Kindle Direct Publishing Indie Digital Publishing Made Easy	Prime Now 2-Hour Delivery on Everyday Essentials	Shopbop Designer Fashion Brands	Yoyo.com A Happy Place To Shop For Toys

Souq.com Shop Online in the Middle East	Warehouse Deals Deep Discounts Open-Box Products	LOVEFiLM DVD & Blu-ray To Rent By Post	Amazon Business Service for business customers