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Self-Portrait

1912
(Irish, 1878–1931)
Ireland, 20th century
oil and collage on wood
Framed: 79.1 x 69 x 6 cm (31 1/8 x 27 3/16 x 2 3/8 in.); Unframed: 61 x 49.6 cm (24 x 19 1/2 in.)
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund 1988.11
Location: not on view
This artwork is known to be under copyright.

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Did You Know?

Orpen was a popular, commercially successful painter of portraits for the well-to-do in Edwardian society; Winston Churchill was among those whose portraits he painted. However, many of Orpen's most striking paintings are self-portraits.

Description

This unusual self-portrait by William Orpen, a modernist active in both Ireland and England, depicts the artist looking at himself in a mirror. Orpen portrays himself holding a rag, as if prepared to wipe out the image. Actual ferry tickets, “engaged seat” notices, a personal check, and a page from Orpen’s diary (referring to a trip to Dublin in June 1912) are glued to the surface of the picture. These “intruders” from real life are cleverly arranged to create the illusion of objects pasted or stuck to the mirror.
Self-Portrait

Self-Portrait

1912

William Orpen

(Irish, 1878–1931)
Ireland, 20th century

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