Arthur Croft Mitchell, The Orange Dress, 1920s, Oil Painting on Canvas, Framed

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An original 1920s oil painting – Arthur Croft Mitchell, The Orange Dress.A stunning large-scale decorative work by the English artist … Read more An original 1920s oil painting – Arthur Croft Mitchell, The Orange Dress.A stunning large-scale decorative work by the English artist Arthur Croft Mitchell (1872–1956). The painting, titled 'The Orange Dress', shows a beautiful young woman in 1920s dress sitting on high above a coastal backdrop, bathed in soft warm light.The model in the painting is likely the artist's new wife, Evelyn Violet Ware (known as Molly), who was fourteen years his junior and became his enduring muse. The couple married in 1926, and that same year both husband and wife painted views at Ragusa, Sicily. Was this clifftop precipice also inspired by Sicily's dramatic coastline?The painting embodies an Art Deco aesthetic, drawing on classical references, in the geometric stone plinth, and also art historical allusions—with Mitchell's languid muse Venus-like against the ocean vista and bearing more than a passing resemblance to Vermeer's turbaned Girl with a Pearl Earring.Mitchell was particularly known for his portraits and psychologically charged interiors, and had great admiration for Vermeer. He was taught at the Slade by Philip Wilson Steer (1860–1942), whose impressionistic style was an influence, and 'The Orange Dress' can be seen to be within the context of Steer and James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903) who both depicted young ladies at leisure and used the sitter's dress as the painting's name. In doing so the painting is not so much a portrait as a meditation on aesthetics, colour and form. Mitchell's painting is also monumental in scale, another device that takes the work into the realm of decorative mural.Oil on canvas in a substantial period gilt frame. Dimensions: Height: 92.5cm (36.42") Width: 67cm (26.38")Presented: In a substantial period gilt frame. Image size: 75 x 50cm; Frame size: 92.5 x 67cm.Medium: OilAge: Early 20th-centurySigned: No.Inscribed: No.Dated: --Condition: Overall in good condition, with bright, clean colours. There is some slight rippling to the canvas and minor craquelure, with a small patch of flaking to the paint in the foliage towards the upper left corner. Some wear and scratches to the outer edges of the gilt frame, with loss to the gesso at the upper left corner; the impression face-on is nevertheless good. Please see photos for detail.Stock number: KC-978 See less