George Henry, R.A., R.S.A., R.S.W.

George Henry, born in Ayrshire, gained his formative training at Glasgow School of Art in the early 1880s and attended informal classes at William York Macgregor's studio in Bath Street. He later studied in Paris furthering his development as a figure painter and portraitist of the utmost refinement. A crucial formative experience for the artist was the trip that he made to Japan with Edward Atkinson Hornel 1893-4, during which he studied Japanese graphic art and painted a number of portraits of geishas. Following his travels Henry settled in London, keeping a studio in Glebe Place in Chelsea, and made a living as a highly admired and sought after society portrait painter.

The current portrait of an elegant woman seated with her back to the viewer, gazing into an unseen distance is a wonderful example of Henry's style of portraiture. The subject of the picture is intended to be mysterious, with the sitter in a state of wistful contemplation looking beyond the confines of the composition. Henry used the goldfish motif in his paintings a number of times, notably in The Goldfish Bowl which he executed in watercolour whilst in Japan in 1894. The goldfish is considered to be a symbol of good fortune, prosperity, beauty and harmony which may have been of interest to the artist in addition to the inherent vividness of colour which made them an interesting choice subject. The current work has a carefully balanced tonal harmony which has been skilfully achieved with a relatively constrained palette. The effect achieved by placing a strong emphasis upon such a rich colour scheme is an intimate warmth which draws the viewer into the heart of the composition.