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“Company Quartermaster, Sergeant Van Omoheusen of the Auxiliary Territorial Service, Ceylon” by Leslie Cole (British) - Oil on canvas / 1945 - Imperial War Museum (London, England) #WomenInArt #art #IWM #ArtText #LeslieCole #BritishArt #womensart #WWII #ImperialWarMuseum #artwork #WomenInUniform
During the Second World War, the British War Artists’ Advisory Committee commissioned portraits to document participants for the U.K. and keep up public morale. Very few portraits were produced of contributors to the war effort who were not white. One exceptional example is British artist Leslie James Cole's painting of Sergeant Van Omoheusen of the ATS in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). In 1947, it was transferred to the Imperial War Museum in London. It is a half-length portrait of ATS Sergeant Van Omoheusen. Her rank, Company Quartermaster Sergeant, indicates a position responsible for the company's wagon and its contents, including supplies, equipment, and sometimes even the company library. The painting depicts her in a relaxed pose, wearing her ATS uniform. She is portrayed with a neutral facial expression, her dark eyes looking directly ahead. Her short wavy black hair is styled in a neat fashion, partially obscured by her askew military cap. She wears a light khaki-colored uniform with visible buttons, lapels, and a belt. The uniform's fabric texture and the stitching are subtly rendered, adding realism. The lighting suggests a soft, diffused light source from the front and slightly above, creating a gentle balance of light and shadow. The background subtly fades into a muted peachy-tan color, drawing attention to the woman and creating depth in the portrait. Cole has employed a palette of muted, earth tones (khaki, brown, and peach) in the painting. There is visible brushwork, which contributes to a textured look. When the Second World War broke out, Cole joined the RAF, but was discharged on medical grounds. The War Artists' Advisory Committee also refused his first attempt to work as a war artist. So, Cole accompanied a trawler assigned to coastal minesweeper work and a destroyer on Gibraltar convoy duties. In 1943, Cole was awarded his first full-time WAAC commission and went on to become one of the Committee's most productive artists.
June 30, 2025 at 4:55 AM