Glyn Philpot (1884-1937), England, Girl at her toilet, about 1910, oil paint on canvas. Purchased 1912 by public subscription

Intensely informal

This intense study shows how Glyn Philpot became a successful portrait painter. Here he captures both a mood - an informal moment of quiet introspection - and the natural detail of his model’s skin and clothing.

At the same time, ‘spotlit’ whites set against the dark background heighten the portrait’s intensity. This technique is a feature of the works of Goya and Velasquez, and Philpot studied these when he visited Spain in the early twentieth century.

For most of his career Philpot was part of the English art establishment, exhibiting at the Royal Academy. In the 1930s, he produced new work influenced by contemporaries like Picasso and Matisse. It caused an uproar in the press and nearly ruined him financially.