The Broken Tryst

Artist Sir William Quiller Orchardson (Edinburgh, Scotland, 1832 - 1910)

Date1868

Mediumoil on canvas

ClassificationsPaintings And Drawings

DimensionsOverall: Height: 60.9 cm, Width: 51 cm
Frame: Height: 95.6 cm, Width: 84.7 cm

AcquisitionAlexander Macdonald Bequest, 1901.

CopyrightOut of copyright - CC0

LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub

Object numberABDAG002999

Keywords

About MeOrchardson was amongst a group of artists who studied under Robert Scott Lauder. Orchardson's work is characterised by the thinly brushed application of paint and was described in the artist's day as resembling the reverse side of a tapestry. In this style, Orchardson painted historical dramas and scenes of modern life.

Here we see a young girl who has been jilted by her lover. By placing her to the right of the composition in an otherwise largely empty space, Orchardson emphasises most effectively her psychological state. The spacious composition and the short, scribbled brushstrokes in the background are both particular features of Orchardson's work.

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Placing the jilted young girl to the right in an otherwise empty space emphasises her loneness and psychological state