Artwork
The first cloud
The first cloud is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist William Quiller Orchardson. It dates from 1894 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Victoria.
About this work
Overview
The first cloud is a 1894 oil painting by William Quiller Orchardson, a Scottish artist known for his portraits and domestic scenes.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a man and woman in a lavish interior, standing on either side of a fireplace. The man, dressed in black, gazes at the woman, who wears a white gown and looks away, suggesting a moment of quiet tension or conversation.
Technique & Style
Orchardson's work is associated with the Impressionist movement, and The first cloud features characteristic attention to light and domestic detail.
History & Provenance
Completed in 1894, the painting is now part of the National Gallery of Victoria's collection.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Sir William Quiller Orchardson (27 March 1832 – 13 April 1910) was a Scottish portraitist and painter of domestic and historical subjects who was knighted in June 1907, at the age of 75.
Voltaire (1694 - 1778)
The Rivals
Through the Corn
Miss Joanna Isabella Dick
The Queen of the Swords
The Artist's Wife (Ellen Moxon, Lady Orchardson, 1853 - 1917)
Study of the Artist's daughter Hilda Orchardson (born 1875) and one of her younger brothers
The Artist's Wife (Ellen Moxon, later Lady Orchardson, c 1854 - 1917)
