Sir Paul Fildes

Sir Paul Fildes was Luke Fildes's son, who became a distinguished bacteriologist — later notorious for his wartime biological weapons research at Porton Down — and this 1919 portrait records him in the year after the First World War's conclusion. The painting of family members was a private practice distinct from Fildes's public commission work, allowing him a more intimate register. Paul Fildes was at this date in his mid-thirties, establishing his scientific career, and the portrait captures him at the beginning of his professional trajectory. The National Portrait Gallery's acquisition of this work reflects both the father's status as a major British portraitist and the son's eventual significance as a public figure. The 1919 date situates the portrait in the immediate aftermath of war, when both science and art were taking stock of what the conflict had meant.

The portrait of his son allows Fildes to relax somewhat from the formal demands of commissioned portraiture — the likeness is clearly deeply felt, and the face is rendered with an attentiveness that goes beyond professional craft. The paint handling is assured and warm, consistent with his mature late style.