''A Sergeant of the Light Horse'' is a

1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...

painting by Australian artist

George Washington Lambert George Washington Thomas Lambert (13 September 1873 – 29 May 1930) was an Australian artist, known principally for portrait painting and as a war artist during the First World War. Early life Lambert was born in St Petersburg, Russia, th ...

. The portrait depicts an Australian soldier in Palestine during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The

National Gallery of Victoria The National Gallery of Victoria, popularly known as the NGV, is an art museum in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is Australia's oldest and most visited art museum. The NGV houses an encyclopedic art collection across two ...

states that the work is "recognised as an image that captured the spirit and character of the Australian soldier".

Subject

The sitter for the portrait was Thomas Henry (Harry) Ivers, a

sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

with the 1st Signal Squadron of the

Australian Light Horse Australian Light Horse were mounted troops with characteristics of both cavalry and mounted infantry, who served in the Second Boer War and World War I. During the inter-war years, a number of regiments were raised as part of Australia's part-ti ...

. Lambert met Ivers, a map maker, in Damascus in 1919 and later Ivers was granted permission to assist Lambert in London. The portrait was painted in Lambert's studio in Kensington, London. It is thought that the sitters face was actually that of William Ewart Archibald McLeod (#32933 7th F.A.B.), and the portrait is a composite of him and Thomas Ivers. Both men knew George Lambert.

Composition

When composing the work, Lambert deliberately set out to "created a new model for the military portrait" eschewing the heroic and dashing soldier on horseback. The painting was intended to represent the typical Australian light horseman—mainly men from the farms, dairies and orchards across rural Australia. War correspondent H.S. Gullett wrote of the Australian lighthorseman: "So far as a distinctive type has been evolved it is … young men long of limb and feature, spare of flesh, easy and almost tired in bearing ... He bears himself modestly ... A felt slouch hat, a shirt with sleeves rolled to the elbows, long trousers". Reviewing the painting for an exhibition of Lambert's works in 2007, the

National Gallery of Australia The National Gallery of Australia (NGA), formerly the Australian National Gallery, is the national art museum of Australia as well as one of the largest art museums in Australia, holding more than 166,000 works of art. Located in Canberra in th ...

noted that "Lambert gave this serviceman a sensuousness through his sharp-focus rendering of flesh and musculature, and in the way he portrayed the taut neck and wiry arms."

Hans Heysen Sir Hans Heysen (8 October 18772 July 1968) was a German-born Australian artist. He became a household name for his watercolours of monumental Australian gum trees. He is one of Australia's best known landscape painters. Heysen also produced ...

observed, "the feeling way the eyes have been painted and the expression of that sensitiveness around the mouth are truly wonderful". The portrait palette, and other features such as the downward look and slender neck, were influenced by the artist's appreciation of the works of

Botticelli Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi ( – May 17, 1510), known as Sandro Botticelli (, ), was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. Botticelli's posthumous reputation suffered until the late 19th century, when he was rediscovered ...

History

The portrait was purchased for the

from the

Felton Bequest Alfred Felton (8 November 1831 – 8 January 1904) was an Australian entrepreneur, art collector and philanthropist. Biography Alfred Felton was born at Maldon, Essex, England, the fifth child of six sons and three daughters of William Felton, a ...

in 1921, on the advice of its director Bernard Hall. The painting remains part of the National Gallery of Victoria's Australian art collection. It was part of the National Gallery of Victoria's ''Follow the Flag'' exhibition in 2015, marking the centenary of

ANZAC Day , image = Dawn service gnangarra 03.jpg , caption = Anzac Day Dawn Service at Kings Park, Western Australia, 25 April 2009, 94th anniversary. , observedby = Australia Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Cook Islands New ...

. The painting appeared on a stamp in 1974.

References

External links

''A Sergeant of the Light Horse''
- National Gallery of Victoria collection. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sergeant of the Light Horse, A Paintings by George Washington Lambert Paintings in the National Gallery of Victoria 1920 paintings War paintings Portraits by Australian artists 20th-century portraits