Ready To Start: William Orpen

When one thinks of the First World War this is not what comes to mind. The lines and strokes are soft, the colors are bright and cheerful. See the empty bottles of liquor, the soldier's lavish fur vest. In the background, there appears to be a silhouette of two people embracing. The soldier looks calm, ready, and brave, his face glowing and healthy. No, what you probably think of, what I usually think of, is more like Otto Dix's War or Skull--images of death and decay, harsh lines, dark colors, images that overwhelm you and make your head spin. I don't know what Orpen intended to make the viewer feel, but the irony in this painting makes it just as tragic as the raw and honest depictions of war. This soldier probably thought he would be home in four months. Instead, he perhaps suffered for two or three years, just another another victim of the stalemate and slaughter that ravaged the continent.