Head lowered against black background with a frown creasing his brow, this portrait of Winston Churchill captures the great man at his lowest. A far cry from iconic images of Britain's charismatic wartime leader in trademark bowler hat, his fingers in the 'V' for Victory sign, or puffing a fat cigar.
William Orpen's haunting portrait is the one Churchill himself treasured most, the then 41-year-old described it as 'the picture of a man's soul'.
'Haunted soul': The artist William Orpen captured Churchill in his political 'wilderness years' in the wake of the disastrous Gallipoli Campaign
Churchill sat for artist William Orpen in 1916 – as Britain was counting the human cost of the disastrous Gallipoli Campaign, the then First Lord of the Admiralty had championed the year before.
THE PAINTER WHO CAPTURED CHURCHILL'S SOUL
Irish artist William Orpen was an official war painter of the First World War, producing renditions of privates, dead soldiers and German Prisoners of War as well as official portraits of generals and statesmen.
Churchill sat for Orpen on 11 occasions in 1916, an experience the artist found tense and difficult given the state of mind of his subject. Nonetheless, the final work met with the approval of Churchill, who is said to have told Orpen: 'It is not the picture of a man. It is the picture of a man's soul.'
The suffering Orpen witnessed during his time as a war painter affected him deeply, and critics attributed the occasional 'shallowness' of his portraits to emotional exhaustion in the wake of the Great War. Orpen was made a Knight Commander of the British Empire (KBE) in the 1918 King's birthday honours list. He died in London aged 53.
Churchill sat for Orpen on 11 occasions in 1916, an experience the artist found tense and difficult given the state of mind of his subject. Nonetheless, the final work met with the approval of Churchill, who is said to have told Orpen: 'It is not the picture of a man. It is the picture of a man's soul.'
The suffering Orpen witnessed during his time as a war painter affected him deeply, and critics attributed the occasional 'shallowness' of his portraits to emotional exhaustion in the wake of the Great War. Orpen was made a Knight Commander of the British Empire (KBE) in the 1918 King's birthday honours list. He died in London aged 53.
But Churchill would earn his place in history as arguably the greatest British prime minister and Orpen's painting captured a glimpse into his soul.
The rarely seen life-size painting - which hung for years in the home of Churchill's late grandson - is now on display in the National Portrait Gallery. The London gallery unveiled its new addition this week after securing the painting on a 10-year loan from Churchill's estate.
Aside from a brief period on display at the Imperial War Museum in 2005, the 'deeply personal' portrait has remained within the Churchill family.
The National Portrait Gallery said the painting captures a 'moment of crisis' in Churchill's career. The portrait is displayed prominently in the early 20th-century room, illustrating Churchill’s significance in the context of the First World War, the gallery said.
V for Victory: Iconic images of the indomitable 'British bulldog' are far removed from the more vulnerable side of Churchill captured in Orpen's portrait
Until the dark hour captured in Orpen's portrait, Churchill's path to success had been relatively smooth. Born into the aristocratic family of the Dukes of Marlborough, as a young man he joined the British Army and proved his talent as a writer - attracting acclaim as a war correspondent. He made his first foray into politics as Oldham MP in 1900, rising swiftly to hold several senior positions before being appointed First Lord of the Admiralty under Asquith's government in 1908.
The attack - designed to open up a path for the British Army to invade the Gallipoli peninsula and go on to take the Ottoman capital Constantinople - was opposed by military chiefs, but Churchill argued successfully for the plan to go ahead.
Losses: British, Austrialian and Indian troops in the Gallipoli landing at Cape Helles on April 25 1915
A joint British and French campaign was duly mounted to secure Constantinople - now Istanbul - and secure a sea route to Russia.
There was a delay of more than six weeks before troops arrived from Britain, allowing Ottoman forces time to prepare defences for a land assault, and the landing date of April 25 was leaked in advance. Allied troops sustained devastating losses during the landings as the Ottomans furiously defended every inch of their soil.
The attack then lost momentum after the initial landing with most troops remaining on, or not far from, the beaches, allowing the Ottomans time to bring in reinforcements.
The campaign rolled on but Allied troops initial objective proved unsuccessful and casualties mounted. In the wake of the failed August Offensive the campaign - increasingly unpopular with the British public - entered a hiatus period and Allied soldiers were eventually evacuated.
By the close of the campaign in January 1916 more than 200,000 Allied troops had been killed.
At the time of Orpen's portrait Churchill was preparing to defend himself against charges of reckless and incompetent leadership before the Dardanelles Commission.
The Commission went on to conclude that he was not personally responsible for the failure of the mission, and Churchill eventually returned to the political front line at the outbreak of the Second World War, going on to be widely regarded as one of the great wartime leaders of the century.
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