Man of the West, Seán Keating – Orpen Print

The model was Sean Keating, one of Orpen's most gifted students, dressed in the working clothes of a man from the West of Ireland, looking directly out of the canvas with an expression that asks nothing and concedes nothing. The painting was acquired by Limerick City Gallery of Art in 1948, where it remains the most valuable work in the collection.

Keating had come to Dublin from Limerick on a scholarship. By 1915 he was Orpen's studio assistant in London, the best young Irish painter of his generation, and the two men were as close as teacher and student get. When the war came, Keating urged Orpen to return to Ireland with him. Orpen refused. Keating went back alone, went to the Aran Islands, and began painting the images of Irish life and revolution that would define his career.

Sir William Orpen (1878-1931), born in Stillorgan, Co Dublin, trained at the Metropolitan School of Art in Dublin and the Slade School in London, and taught at the Metropolitan School until 1914, where his students included Keating, Patrick Tuohy and Leo Whelan. His work hangs in the National Gallery of Ireland.

Sizes & Format

• 30 × 30 cm / 12 × 12″
• 50 × 50 cm / 20 × 20″
• Available framed (black, white, wood) or unframed

Print & Frame Details

Archival matte paper, 250gsm (110lb), acid-free and FSC-certified — off-white, uncoated. Framed prints: solid oak or ash wood frame, 20mm thick, with shatterproof protective glazing. Ready to hang, hanging kit included. Unframed prints up to A4 ship flat; larger sizes ship rolled in a protective tube.

Free Worldwide Shipping

Framed prints are packed with protective corners and wrap, boxed with reinforced edges, and braced with internal supports for extra rigidity (max 3 frames per package). Every order ships free, made to order and delivered from the hub closest to you: Ireland 3–7 business days · UK 4–8 · USA 5–10 · Canada 6–12 · Australia 7–14.