Irish Artists

Francis Bacon (1909-1992)

• Irish-born British figurative painter 

  • Known for unsettling imagery 

• Popular Subjects 

  • Crucifixion, popes, self-portraits, and close friends 

• “Saw images in series” 

  • Focused on single subjects 

  • Depicted as triptychs or diptychs

Bacon

• Biography 

  • Born in Dublin 

  • Raised by the family nanny 

  • Moved frequently between Ireland and England 

    • Let him have a sense of displacement that remained with him 

  • Enjoyed dressing very feminine 

    • Enraged his father and was whipped 

  • In his 20s 

    • Took part in petty theft 

    • Couldn’t keep a job

    • Involved in the homosexual underworld 

    • Moved back to London and worked in interior design 

• First painting 1933 - Crucifixion 

  

  • Not received well at all 

    • Stopped painting for 10 years 

• Crucifixion 

  • Crucifixion of Jesus 

  • The body seems to be opening like a cloak 

  • May be based on: 

    • Picasso’s The Three Dancers 

    • Catholic upbringing 

    • Political violence 

    • Inspo of crucifixion

      

• Early Success: 1944 - developed his unique style 

  • Three Studies for Figures at the Base of Crucifixion 

  • Painting (1946) 

• Three Studies for Figures at the Base of Crucifixion 

  • Based on the Eumenides or Furies 

    • Chthonic goddess of vengeance in ancient Greece, an embodiment of the act of self-cursing contained in oath 

  • To be displayed at the base of a crucifixion 

    • No crucifixion themes in the painting 

  • Almost no visual link to the Furies 

    • Created an image of the feeling they gave him 

      • “The reek of human blood smiles out of me” 

  • Inspo for Furies

    

Furies painting

• Right Figure

  • Mouth screaming or yawning 

  • Possibly based on movie scene of screaming nurse - had obsession with the image 

    • Left image: one of his art works of a pope

    • Right image: image that bacon was obsessed with

      

  Central Figure

  • Mouth on neck 

  • Blindfolded

• Left Figure 

  • The most human like - a mourner? 

• Painting (1946) 

  • Originally intended to show a chimpanzee in long grass 

    • Attempted to paint over with bird and prey landing in a field 

  • Considers his “most unconscious” work 

• Late 1940’s 

  • Head series 

• Head VI 

  • Placed figure in glass cage like structure behind drapery 

    • Man trapped and suffocated by surroundings screaming into a void 

  • Modeled on Portrait of Innocent X 

  • Part of larger series depicting isolated figures 

    • Screaming pope series show similar motifs but with full figures 

    • Inspo

• 1960s-1970s

  • Was mostly in abusive relationships 

    • Now with Dyer who is much younger than him and not a great guy 

  • Work moved to mostly portraits of friends 

    • Mostly of Dyer 

• 1971 

  • Bacon’s career peaked - “Greatest Living Painter” 

    • Dyer is a huge pain at this point 

      • Alcoholic, needy, in a downward spiral 

        • May sucicide attempts 

  • Dyer overdoses 2 days before Bacon is told 

    • From here death haunted is work 

    • Black Triptych 

• Black Triptych 

  • Shows the moments before, during, and after Dyer’s suicide 

    • Not always shown linerly 

  • Each shows a comatose man near a toilet 

  • Dyer is followed by a black winged creature or raw blobs of dying flesh 

    • Act as pointers to the the tragedy of the scene 

    • Manifestations of Bacon’s guilt 

Maine Jellett (1897-1944)

• Among the first abstract painters shown in Ireland when exhibited at the Society of Dublin Painters 

• Strong promoter and defender of modern art in her country 

• Work was also part of the painting event at the art competition in the 1928 Summer Olympics 

• Born in Dublin

• Started her art education at age 11 

• Later studies at the Metropolitan School of Art 

  • Was taught by William Orpen 

• Showed talent in the impressionist style 

  

• Career

  • Moved to Paris in 1921

    • Encountered cubism and abstract art 

    • Color and rhythm inspired her to stay in France 

  • 1923 exhibited cubist paintings - received a hostile response 

    • At the Dublin Painted’s exhibition 

  • Deeply committed Christian 

    • Occasionally have religious titles, resemble icons in tone or palette 

  • Many of her abstracts are built on a single “eye” or “heart” 

  • Important figure in Irish Art History 

    • An early proponent of abstract art and modernism movement 

• Decoration 

  • Recalls Madonna and Child

    

  Virgin of Eire 

  • Madonna and child 

  • Flanked by 

    • St. Patrick 

    • St. Brigid

      

Paul Henery (1876-1958)

• Irish artist noted for depicting West of Ireland landscapes

  • In spare post impressionist style 

• Born in Belfast, Ireland 

• Studied art at Royal Belfast Academical Institution 

  • Then switched to Belfast school of Artnefore going to Paris 

• Married a painter and moved back to Ireland 

  • Moved to Achill Island 

    • Here he learned to capture the peculiar interplay of light and landscape of West of Ireland 

  • Move to Dublin 

    • One of the founders of the Society of Dublin Painters 

      • Original 10 founders 

• Most renowned Irish Artist in the 20s-30s 

  • Helped shape the image of west ireland 

• Use of color affected by his red-green colorblindness

• Lost his sight in 1945 

  • Never regained his sight before his death  

Sean Keating (1889-1977)

• Irish romantic-realist painting 

  • Painting images of the Irish War of Independence and early industrialization 

  • Spent 2 weeks a year at Aran Islands 

    • Portraits of Island people - rugged heroic figures

      

• Studied drawing before a scholarship arraigned by William Orpen 

  • Went to study at the Metropolitan School of Art

• Won award on painting The Reconciliation 

  • Went to work as Orpen’s studio assistant in London 

• Returned to Ireland to document the Irish Civil War 

• Intellectual painter

  • Consciously set out to explore the visual identity of the Irish Nation 

  • Paintings shows very idealized realism 

  • Felt that his mission was to define what nationhood meant in his paintings 

• Men of the South 

  

  • Painted in a time of uncertainty 

  • Shows the members of the North Cork Brigade 

  • Staged in a studio after the war ended 

    • Based on concept of the Greek frieze 

      • Depicted heroic figure ready for battle

• Men of the South 

  • Shows IRA members waiting to ambush British military 

    • Ambush is imminent but based on their posture these men are not concerned for their safety but instead for the principle 

    • Neutral tones create and earthy wholesome attachment to the land 

    • Made as heroes but doesn’t show the grime and pain of war 

      • Shows the idealism 

• An Allegory 

  

  • Painted during the Irish Civil War 

    • Addressed social and political matters affecting Ireland 

    • Communicates his suspicions of clerical, political, and business elite

• An Allegory 

  • Left: clergymen talks to finely dressed man with his back
    turned to the rest 

  • Young mother = mother of Ireland 

  • Nursing baby = future generations 

  • Slumped man = self portrait of keating 

  • Soldiers (Free state and Anti-Treaty Forces): facing opposite directions bury a coffin with a flag 

  • Registers the human and material cost of Civil War

    • Points to the divisive nature of the conflict and future consequences 

    • Idealism of struggle for independence is replaced by indifference and personal interests 

• Night’s Candles Are Burnt Out 

  

  • Construction of hydroelectric dam at Ardnacrusha 

  • Includes figures who represent different aspects Keating saw as the Ireland of the day 

  • Metaphor for Ireland moving to modernity 

• Night’s Candles are Burnt Out 

  • Top right: Keating with his wife and sons pointing to Ireland’s future 

  • Left side is Keating again inspecting a hanging skeleton 

    • Reminiscent of the famine? 

  • Bottom right: priest reading by candlelight 

    • Shows attitude toward church 

      • Disappointed with Post-treaty Ireland, governments and church in cahoots 

  • Middle: Gombeen man - politician or businessman making money off the backs of everyone else 

  • Reflecting on a country on the brink of change 

John Lavery (1856-1941)

• Known for portraits and wartime depictions 

• Born in Belfast and moved to Scotland as a child 

  • Attended Glasgow and Academie JUlian 

• 1888 was commissioned to paint the state visit of Queen Victoria 

  • Launched his career as a society painter and he moved to London 

• Was appointed an official artist of WWI (like William Orpen) 

  • Serious car crash during bombing raid kept him from fulfilling his role - not allowed to go the western front 

    • Mainly painted aeroplanes and airships 

  • After the war he was knighted for his war art 

    • Elected to the Royal Academy in 1921 

    • Part of Olympic At Competitions in 1924, 1928, and 1932 

  • Tangentially involved in the Irish Wars 

    • Let people use their London home for negotiations 

  • Painted Michael Collins, Love of Ireland after his assasination 

    • Was leading figure of the struggle for Irish Indiependence 

• Red Rose

  • Portrait of his wife Hazel Lavery 

    • Not the original person in the painting 

  • Lady Lavery became an emblem of Modern Ireland 

    • Manother portrait of her ended up on banknotes 

      

Louis LeBrocguy (1916-2012)

• Born in Dublin 

  • Sister became a sculptor 

• Did not go to school for art 

  • Studied chemistry 

• Widely acclaimed for evocative Portrait heads of literary figures and fellow artists

• Later in Life 

  • Early “Tinker” subjects and Grey period ”family” paintings attracted international audience 

    • One of very view Irish and British painted whose work got prices over 1 million pounds (bacon did as well) 

• Designed covers for Lark in the morning and the rising of the moon 

• Did some illustration in 1969 Tain Bo Cuailnge translation 

  • Distinct style: cave paintings, Rorschach test and calligraphy 

Norah McGuinness (1901-1980)

• Studied at Metropolitan School of Art 

• Did some stage design for Abbey and Peacock theaters 

• Illustrated W.B. Yeat’s story Stories of Red Hanrahan 

• Went to paris as advice from Jellett 

• Moved to the U.S. for 2 years before returning to Dublin 

  

• Painited vivid, highly colored landscapes

• Shows cubist influences, associated with modern movement 

• Helped fund Irish Exhibit of Living Art 

  • Became president after Jellett died 

• Represented Ireland in the 1950 Venice Biennale 

  • First time Ireland participated in the international exhibition of

• Also designed windows for Brown Thomas 

  

William Orpen (1878-1931) 

• 

• Worked in London 

  • Successful painted of the Edwardian Society 

• During WWI 

  • One of the most prolific of the official war painters 

  • Sent to the Western Front 

    • Produced drawings of soldiers, dead men, German POW 

  • 138 works 

  • Was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire 

    • Also elected to the Royal Academy 

• Had a better off childhood 

• Dublin Metropolitan School of Art at age 14 

  • Left later for Slade School of Art 

  • Would include mirrors to images within images  (like Arnolfini portrait) 

  • Add false frames and collages around subjects 

  • Would often make pictorial references to works by other artists 

• The Mirror

  • Was of a model for the art school named Emily 

    • Was briefly engaged to Orpen 

  • Circular mirror reflects the artists 

    • Like Arnolfini Portrait

  • Arrangement of objects based on Whistler’s portraits of his
    mother 

  • Very classical in style 

• Early Career 

  • Ran a private studio - taught Sean Keating and others 

  • Period of celtic revival in Ireland 

    • Painted 3 large allegorical paintings 

      • Sowing New Seed, The Western Weddings The Holy Well 

• Sowing New Seed 

  • Allegorical representation of what artists felt was the depressing state of the arts in Ireland 

    • Intended to make fun 

  • Partial nude holds palm up sprinkling seeds into ground 

    • Spirit of new ideas, progress in art…

  • Naked infants = intellectual progeny 

  • Peasant couple in “Sunday Black” reflect Orpen’s low opinions of the attitudes of the ag department 

    

• In 1912 he developed a distinct plein-air style (outdoor painting) 

  • Featured figures composed of touches of color without a drawn outline 

    • Midday on a Beach 

      • Flowy with no defined edges 

        

• 1911-1913 painted a series of portraits 

  • Roscommon Dragon, The Irish Volunteer, The Angler 

    • Built his reputation for society portraits 

  • Able to produce swagger portraits that high society valued 

    • Derived from classicism 

  • Group portraits were hugely popular 

    • Cafe in Royal London 

    • Homage to Manet 

• Dead Germans in a Trench 

  • Blue-green for the bodies - putrefaction 

  • Bright coloring of the trenches increases disturbing sense

    

• Also encountered traumatised and shell shocked soldiers 

  • A Man with a Cigarette

  • Blown Up, Mad 

• Some regarded these as purely allegorical

  

• Painted many paintings of his lover Yvonne Aubicq 

  • Got in trouble for naming one “Spy”

Renamed it Refugee

• 1918 

  • As the war was ending Orpen witnessed increasing Macabre Scene 

  • Painted parable paintings 

    • Armistice Night, Amiens, Official Entry of the Kaiser 

    • Used black humour to re-imagine the coming victory 

    • Never really displayed these to the public

      

• Peace Conference 

  • Commissioned to stay in France and paint delegates of the conference 

    • A Peace Conference at Quai d’Orsay 

    • The singing of Peace in the Hall of Mirrors 

  • Architecture overwhelms the politicians 

    • Political wrangling and vainglory diminished them 

  • Considered the whole thing being conducted with a lack of respect for the suffering of soldiers in the War 

    • Attempted to address this in To the Unknown British Soldier in France

• The Signing of Peace in the Hall of Mirrors 

  • Depicts the signing of the Treaty of Versailles that ended WWI 

  • Depicts soldiers, diplomats, and politicians that attended the treaty being signed 

  • Orpen disliked politicians

    • Considered them vain and greedy 

    • Dwarfs them with the palace

      

• To the Unknown British Soldier in France 

  • Shows a coffin holding remains covered by the Union Flag 

  • Located in the Hall of Peace at Versailles 

  • Originally had soldiers bearing guns but in loin cloth and cherubs holding floral garland 

    • Eventually painted over

      

Markey Robinson (1918-1999)

• Painter and sculptor with primitive style 

  • Not able to receive artistic training at a young age due to money 

  • Held menial jobs, was an ameteur boxer 

  • WWII joined casualty Service of the Civil Defence 

  • Was seen as a mysterious character

    • Disappeared for awhile and come back with paintings 

      

• Through the 19402, showed with Ulster Academy of Arts 

• Entered two works to the Civil Defence Art Exhibition 

  • Bomb Crater in Earlington Street 

  • Fire at the International 

• Traveled extensively as merchant seaoman 

  • Shows influence of Native American and South American Art

    

• Showed one painting titled Painting in the inaugural Irish Exhibition og Living Art in the 1940s 

• Throughout the 50’s he tried toy making 

• Many dealers dealers did not take his talent and work seriously 

  • Amateurish and not “finished” 

  • Really only his landscapes were shown 

• He had no real interest in the business of art, the dealer system, or financial benefits 

  • He painted for himself and for those that appreciated his work 

Mary Swanzy

• Irish landscape and genre artists 

  • Noted for eclectic style 

    • Painted in many styles: 

      • Cubism 

      • Futurism 

      • Fauvism: strong color over representation of realistic values 

      • Orphism: focused on pure abstraction and bright colors 

  • One of Ireland’s first abstract painters 

• Spent time in Paris 

  • Gauguin, Matisse, and Picasso made impressions 

• After her parents died she traveled 

  • Painted peasant scenes in Yugoslavia 

• Began traveling to more exotic locations 

  • Hawaii and Samoa 

  • Started painting tropical scenes and native women 

    • Palette and style similar to Fauvism 

• Work became more allegorical in later years

  •  The Message 

    

Jack Butler Yeats (1871-1957)

• Father was an artists 

  • But Jack live with his grandparents a lot 

• Began as an illustrator and watercolorist 

  • Moved to ol in 1906 

    • Early pictures are lyrical depictions of landscapes 

      • Heavy influence of romanticism 

      • Later adopted expressionism (what he became famous for) 

        

• Attended Art School with his sisters 

  • Worked as a magazine illustrator

• 1920s - developed intensently into expressionism 

  • Moved from illustration to symbolism 

  • Helped articulate modern Ireland 

    • A light in wake a what was happening at the time 

• Favorite subjects include landscapes, horses, and circus 

  

• Later paintings distinguished by extremely vigorous and experimental techniques of thickly applied paint 

  • Frequently abandoned the brush 

• Took no students and allowed no one to watch him work 

• Hold distinction of being Ireland's first Medalist at the Olympic Games 

  • 1924 olympic games - art and culture silive medal 

    • The Liffey Swim 

      

Society of Dublin Painters 

• Formed in Ireland in 1920 to promote Irish Modern Art 

  • Founded by Mary Swanzy, Jack B. Yeats, Paul Henry and others 

• Group sought to bring modernism to Ireland 

  • Provide freer, less academic space for Artistic expression 

• Held annual exhibitions and one-person shows 

  • Provide alternate space from the RHA to exhibit 

  • Did not mandate a particular style 

• Membership was limited with just 10 initially 

  • Only got up to 18 

• By 1943, overtaken by exhibitions like the Irish Exhibition of Living Art 

  • No longer seen as the premier outlet for avant-garde Irish art 

• Ceased to exist by 1960