.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
Soldiers Resting at the Front is a rare example, outside an institution, of Orpen's War works. It is likely that it was undertaken after the war and almost certainly after May 1918, as it was not included in the exhibition held at Agnew's in London of the majority, if not all, of Orpen's output as an Offical War Artist to that date. These works were to form the core of the Imperial War Museum's subsequent collection of Orpen's work when he presented them to the Nation.
Orpen put his own artistic career on hold when he signed up for the British Army in 1916. Originally given the rank of Second Leiutenant, he was subsequently promoted to Major when he became involved with the Official War Artists scheme in 1917 and embarked on an extended tour of duty in France. His was a roving commission and, within reason, he could go where he pleased behind the British lines. To this end he had the use of a staff car together with chauffeur and batman. As he could not undertake private commissions at this time this meant a significant financial sacrifice for him. However, it is conceivable that he may have kept some of his sketches back (and certainly his sketchbooks) with a view to producing some oil compositions to sell in order to help his finances once he was relieved of his obligations as an Army Officer. It is likely that Soldiers resting at the Front is one such work.
Orpen's faithful crew while he was working as an Official War Artist in France consisted of his aide, Captain T.T. Aikman, his chauffeur, Gordon Howlett, and his batman, Private Green. We know from an annotated sketch (see B. Arnold, loc. cit.) that the seated figure in the lower left corner of the present composition is Private Green. Like the painting, this sketch did not find its way into the Imperial War Museum's collection. There is no indication as to the identities of the other figures in the composition, although a study for the standing figure appeared at Sotheby's, London, 11 March 1981, lot 102 as The weary soldier. The setting of Soldiers resting at the Front appears to be a dug-out in one of the trenches, in which troops are taking advantage of a lull in action for some refreshment and perhaps a little relaxation.
Orpen's philosophy towards his work was, by and large, that of faithful representation, based upon personal observation. We find no scenes, heroic or otherwise, of soldiers in action in the heat of battle, for that was not what he witnessed. Instead we find soldiers resting, recovering or fraternising with locals; captured German soldiers; commissioned portraits of the military's 'great and good'; or the effects of bombing and shelling on the buildings in towns and villages and their inhabitants or in the countryside, with its often surreal and eerie beauty, belying the cruel death, destruction and devastation of war. Occasionally Orpen would give some of his figures a Goya-esque appearance to give limited expression to his feelings, whilst maintaining the underlying principle of basing his work on personal observation. It was only after the war that Orpen allowed himself to give full vent to his feelings and to examine his own attitutes towards the war, in satirical fantasies such as The Entry of the Kaiser or Armistice Night, Amiens. In these works he moves away from factual representation to a clearly more metaphorical expression of his feelings, probably in an attempt to come to terms with his own experience - something he never did - he was haunted by it for the rest of his life.
Soldiers resting at the Front has a particularly interesting provenance. The painting became the property of Yvonne (Eve) Aubicq, Orpen's mistress in France during the war and for most of the decade following. The beautiful blonde-haired daugher of the Mayor of Lille, Eve is thought to have been a nurse when Orpen first met her, probably late in 1917. The association between them was close; Eve would almost certainly have known Private Green, and this particular work may therefore have had certain memories for her. There are at least eight oil paintings of Eve, executed between 1917 and 1922. In many of these she appears in character; there are two versions of her as a 'Spy' (later redubbed The Refugee for official reasons), two versions of her dressed as a nun (one of which Eve had, while the other Orpen had hanging in his South Bolton Gardens Studio), and four nudes, one of which, sometimes known as The Rape is a genre painting. All but the two Refugee paintings (which are in the Imperial War Museum) are believed to be in private collections.
After the war Orpen continued to spend much of his time in Paris, maintaining a studio there at the Hotel Astoria, to cater largely for rich Americans touring Europe. By 1923 his funds had recovered enough to replace the Rolls Royce he had lost to the war efort with a new one which he had shipped out to France. He also acquired a new chauffeur by the name of William Grover-Williams. Grover-Williams had a good year in 1929, not only winning the inaugural Monaco Grand Prix in April, but also marrying his old master's by then ex-mistress, Eve Aubicq in November. In fact, racing under the name of Williams, he was to become one of Britain's most successful racing drivers in the inter-war years. During the Second World War he played a heroic role as a British S.O.E. (Special Operations Executive) agent in the Paris area, organising resistance and sabotage, with one can assume, Eve in some sort of supporting role. He was eventually captured, imprisoned, and supposedly subsequently executed by the Germans in 1945. However, as the official files come into the public domain there has recently been increased interest in this somewhat mysterious and enigmantic figure, leading to some speculation that he may in fact have survived the war resuming an agent's role in the security services, and eventually returning to live with Eve by 1948 under an assumed name.
Eve, having acquired a house, the Rolls Royce and the chauffeur from Orpen, along with a substantial financial settlement, settled down to breed Scotties and Highland Terriers, becoming a judge at Crufts. She died in 1973. Through the 1950s she sold most of her works by Orpen, which consisted of a number of drawings and a very small number of oil paintings. Soldiers resting at the Front was one of the last works which she sold.
The Orpen Research Project
Orpen put his own artistic career on hold when he signed up for the British Army in 1916. Originally given the rank of Second Leiutenant, he was subsequently promoted to Major when he became involved with the Official War Artists scheme in 1917 and embarked on an extended tour of duty in France. His was a roving commission and, within reason, he could go where he pleased behind the British lines. To this end he had the use of a staff car together with chauffeur and batman. As he could not undertake private commissions at this time this meant a significant financial sacrifice for him. However, it is conceivable that he may have kept some of his sketches back (and certainly his sketchbooks) with a view to producing some oil compositions to sell in order to help his finances once he was relieved of his obligations as an Army Officer. It is likely that Soldiers resting at the Front is one such work.
Orpen's faithful crew while he was working as an Official War Artist in France consisted of his aide, Captain T.T. Aikman, his chauffeur, Gordon Howlett, and his batman, Private Green. We know from an annotated sketch (see B. Arnold, loc. cit.) that the seated figure in the lower left corner of the present composition is Private Green. Like the painting, this sketch did not find its way into the Imperial War Museum's collection. There is no indication as to the identities of the other figures in the composition, although a study for the standing figure appeared at Sotheby's, London, 11 March 1981, lot 102 as The weary soldier. The setting of Soldiers resting at the Front appears to be a dug-out in one of the trenches, in which troops are taking advantage of a lull in action for some refreshment and perhaps a little relaxation.
Orpen's philosophy towards his work was, by and large, that of faithful representation, based upon personal observation. We find no scenes, heroic or otherwise, of soldiers in action in the heat of battle, for that was not what he witnessed. Instead we find soldiers resting, recovering or fraternising with locals; captured German soldiers; commissioned portraits of the military's 'great and good'; or the effects of bombing and shelling on the buildings in towns and villages and their inhabitants or in the countryside, with its often surreal and eerie beauty, belying the cruel death, destruction and devastation of war. Occasionally Orpen would give some of his figures a Goya-esque appearance to give limited expression to his feelings, whilst maintaining the underlying principle of basing his work on personal observation. It was only after the war that Orpen allowed himself to give full vent to his feelings and to examine his own attitutes towards the war, in satirical fantasies such as The Entry of the Kaiser or Armistice Night, Amiens. In these works he moves away from factual representation to a clearly more metaphorical expression of his feelings, probably in an attempt to come to terms with his own experience - something he never did - he was haunted by it for the rest of his life.
Soldiers resting at the Front has a particularly interesting provenance. The painting became the property of Yvonne (Eve) Aubicq, Orpen's mistress in France during the war and for most of the decade following. The beautiful blonde-haired daugher of the Mayor of Lille, Eve is thought to have been a nurse when Orpen first met her, probably late in 1917. The association between them was close; Eve would almost certainly have known Private Green, and this particular work may therefore have had certain memories for her. There are at least eight oil paintings of Eve, executed between 1917 and 1922. In many of these she appears in character; there are two versions of her as a 'Spy' (later redubbed The Refugee for official reasons), two versions of her dressed as a nun (one of which Eve had, while the other Orpen had hanging in his South Bolton Gardens Studio), and four nudes, one of which, sometimes known as The Rape is a genre painting. All but the two Refugee paintings (which are in the Imperial War Museum) are believed to be in private collections.
After the war Orpen continued to spend much of his time in Paris, maintaining a studio there at the Hotel Astoria, to cater largely for rich Americans touring Europe. By 1923 his funds had recovered enough to replace the Rolls Royce he had lost to the war efort with a new one which he had shipped out to France. He also acquired a new chauffeur by the name of William Grover-Williams. Grover-Williams had a good year in 1929, not only winning the inaugural Monaco Grand Prix in April, but also marrying his old master's by then ex-mistress, Eve Aubicq in November. In fact, racing under the name of Williams, he was to become one of Britain's most successful racing drivers in the inter-war years. During the Second World War he played a heroic role as a British S.O.E. (Special Operations Executive) agent in the Paris area, organising resistance and sabotage, with one can assume, Eve in some sort of supporting role. He was eventually captured, imprisoned, and supposedly subsequently executed by the Germans in 1945. However, as the official files come into the public domain there has recently been increased interest in this somewhat mysterious and enigmantic figure, leading to some speculation that he may in fact have survived the war resuming an agent's role in the security services, and eventually returning to live with Eve by 1948 under an assumed name.
Eve, having acquired a house, the Rolls Royce and the chauffeur from Orpen, along with a substantial financial settlement, settled down to breed Scotties and Highland Terriers, becoming a judge at Crufts. She died in 1973. Through the 1950s she sold most of her works by Orpen, which consisted of a number of drawings and a very small number of oil paintings. Soldiers resting at the Front was one of the last works which she sold.
The Orpen Research Project