Notes

Frans Oerder's draughtsmanship was finely honed in the training he received at the Rotterdam Academy of Art where he registered in 1880.   The gifted student completed the six-year course in five years and, at the age of eighteen, won the King William III Gold Medal and Bursary which enabled him to embark on a study tour of Italy.   On his return he continued his tuition in Brussels under the French painter, Ernest Blanc-Garin.   As JH Pierneef's teacher, Oerder would have communicated his principles of concentrated observation to his pupil who, in turn, developed these into his own unique style.

Portrait of Mrs Thiry is a thoughtful study in relaxed elegance and serenity achieved through a combination of superb drawing skills and empathy with his sitter.   His studies of children and babies convey a remarkable sensitivity and tenderness.   His use of sanguine with its reddish brown colour, the ideal medium for rendering modelling and volume in warm tones, was favoured by Old Masters like Leonardo da Vinci.