Lieut A. P. F. Rhys Davids, DSO, MC (1897–1917)

This portrait shows Arthur Rhys-Davids, a young fighter pilot of the Royal Flying Corps, seated in half-length in the khaki uniform of his unit. Orpen painted him in France in 1917, during the First World War, on a commission from the British Department of Information, the wartime propaganda office that later became the Ministry of Information. Working as an official war artist, he captured the airman only weeks before his death in combat over Belgium, at the age of twenty. The pose is relaxed: the young man leans slightly back, one hand resting on his thigh and the other in his pocket, while the yellow and blue background suggests an open sky. The uniform receives careful attention, from the fur-lined flying helmet to the buttons and insignia, yet his gaze, fixed on a distant point, gives the picture a sense of absence. Rather than the heroic imagery typical of wartime propaganda, Orpen stresses the individuality and vulnerability of his sitter, which is why the work is regarded as one of his most affecting wartime likenesses.

Painter

William Orpen

Date

1917

Medium

oil paint, canvas

Dimensions

91 × 76 cm

Museum

Imperial War Museums

Genre

portrait

Depicts

Arthur Rhys-Davids

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