The Painter Charles Conder
Artist: William Rothenstein (British, 1872-1945)
Date: 1892
Dimensions:
H: 47 3/8 in. (120.3 cm); W: 21 3/4 in. (55.2 cm)
Medium: Oil on canvas
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number: 1952.86
Label Text:British-born painters William Rothenstein and Charles Conder (1868–1909) met while studying in Paris in 1890 and became lifelong friends. The two young artists moved in impressive circles—they were friends with many leading artists and writers of the day, including Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Oscar Wilde, and Auguste Rodin. Conder was attracted to a reckless lifestyle in the hedonistic cabarets of Montmartre. As a result, he was often nearly destitute. In order to fulfill the social necessity of evening clothes on a severely restricted budget, Conder shopped for used clothes from decades earlier in the Paris flea markets. The long greatcoat and top hat from the 1830s that Conder wears in this portrait became a recognizable eccentricity of the artist’s.
In his memoirs, Rothenstein recalled that Conder wanted a particular mood for this portrait, urging Rothenstein “to stylize his coat and give him a fatale and romantic appearance. [Conder] was a born stylist."
In his memoirs, Rothenstein recalled that Conder wanted a particular mood for this portrait, urging Rothenstein “to stylize his coat and give him a fatale and romantic appearance. [Conder] was a born stylist."
On view
In Collection(s)