Orpen, Sir William

Orpen, Sir William,

1878–1931, British portrait and genre painter, b. Ireland. He is best known for his scenes of Irish daily life, his paintings and sketches of life at the front in World War I, and his portraits. His paintings Myself and Venus (Carnegie Inst., Pittsburgh) and Leading the Life in the West (Metropolitan Mus.) are characteristic of his work. Orpen was knighted in 1918. Although not a profound talent, he was the most popular painter of his day.