Portrait of a Young Lady

This stunning portrait is emblematic of the techniques and styles of British portraiture in the 20th century. Broad brushstrokes are used for the background and for larger areas on the dress and the lady’s skin, but fine detailing is afforded to the lady’s hair and face, her necklace, the folds of her dress, and the pink ribbon tied at the neck of her garment. These areas of detail draw the viewer’s attention, indicating the areas of importance for the artist and his sitter. The realism of the sitter’s face is striking, with her resolute look suggesting alertness and stoicism.

The attention to light in the image is fascinating, with strokes of bright white paint being utilised to depict areas of bright illumination. This has the effect of affording each item of the painting a distinct, tangible texture. For example, the light on the top of the sitter’s head affords her hair a glossy and lustrous texture; the reflection on the beads of her necklace indicates that they are glass; the light on the pink bow hints at it being a silken material.

Wootton’s attention to detail in accurate depictions of light and in how he portrays his sitter sympathetically cement him as a masterful portraitist.

Kenneth Edwin Wootton
Kenneth Edwin Wootton was born in 1885. Between 1905 and 1910, he was a student of the Royal Academy of Art as well as the Clapham Art School. At the outbreak of the First World War, he was called to serve in the Tank Corps and fought on the front lines of the Western Front, most notably at Passchendaele. Wootton kept a sketchbook during this time, documenting what he saw in his daily life in the trenches. In 1917, Wootton was injured in an explosion and taken to a hospital in Rouen, before being discharged. He was awarded a Military Cross.

After the war, Wootton settled in Coventry and taught at Bablake School. He continued his career as an artist, completing a number of portraits and scenes of Coventry, focusing particularly on the effects of bombs in the ruined city. Many of his portraits are held by the Towner Art Gallery in Eastbourne. Wootton passed away in 1974.