Portrait of a Seated Lady

Jean Esme Oregon Cooke R.A. 1927 - 2008, was an English painter, sculptor, potter and teacher who was born in London. Cooke studied at the Central School of Arts and Crafts, Goldsmiths College and the Camberwell School of Art. Cooke was married to the artist John Bratby, the relationship was somewhat tempestuous and Bratby jealous of Cooke's success and her ability stifled her growth and further development, which eventually resulted in their divorce. 

Bratby was considered the founder of the Kitchen Sink School of realism painting a term adopted by the art critic David Sylvester who described the work of a group of painters as including everything within the composition, including the kitchen sink. Cooke here has depicted the image of the sitter in the manner accustomed to the 1950's School, the style of the times which was also influenced by John Osbourne and his writing 'Look Back in Anger' 1956, a harsh and realistic view of the working class Britons living in rented accommodation and the uncomfortable surroundings of post war years in Britain, still in the grip of rationing. 

Within this picture the sitter looks irritated with the index finger of the right hand which appears to indicate to the painter a frustration of how long this is taking, another sign of the deleterious behaviour of the younger generation of the times. This painting, which is oil on board, does have initials at the lower half of the picture which include 'JC'. The painting lacks a definitive signature and therefore is catalogued as 'attributed' but we believe after consideration that the work is that of Jean Cooke and the discovery of the initials we believe confirms the attribution.