Description | Half length portrait. The artist adopts a high viewpoint and places his sitter four square on the canvas. The sitter has a moustache and wears a white tie. The poppy red and electric blue of the academic robes, as brilliant as dyed Indian silks, jump against the rust red background to make this the most vibrant of the portraits. A stridency of tone, and a vigorous application of brushstroke, remind the onlooker of Van Gogh and the pose, of Cezanne. The portrait is as hot as a coal fire and it vivdly catches the kindly, humourous and quizzical personality of the sitter. The body fills out the canvas, and the crossed hands, with elbows pushing against the frame, create an impression of alertness and energy. |
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