Irish art

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Christ Enthroned from the Book of Kells (9th century)

The history of Irish art starts around 3200 BC with

spiral designs, and the intricate interlaced patterns of Celtic knotwork
.

Gold lunula from Blessington, Ireland, Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age, c. 2400 BC – 2000 BC, Classical group

The

Christianization of Ireland in the fifth century AD saw the establishment of monasteries, which acted as centres of scholarship, and led to the flowering of the Insular art style with its highly decorative illuminated manuscripts, metalwork and stonework (High crosses). From around 1200 to 1700, however, Irish art was relatively stagnant, and Irish culture was left comparatively untouched by the influence of Renaissance art
.

From the late 17th century, talented artists began to emerge in the fields of fine art, particularly the painting of portraiture and landscapes. The early 18th century saw increased prosperity and establishment of new cultural institutions including the Royal Dublin Society (1731) and Royal Irish Academy (1785). In the Victorian era, with a lack of patronage and better opportunities to be found abroad, many Irish artists emigrated to London (portraitists) or Paris (landscapists), which stifled the nascent indigenous scene. By the dawn of the 20th century, things began to improve. Opportunities began to spring up at home; the Celtic Revival movement saw a renewed interest in aspects of Celtic culture, Hugh Lane established the Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, the first public gallery of its kind in the world, and with increased patronage a new generation of homegrown talent and returning emigres gradually formed a solid basis for the regrowth of art in Ireland. The foundation of an independent Irish State in the early 1920s did not significantly alter the state of Ireland's visual arts; in the years following Independence, the arts establishment (exemplified by the committee of the Royal Hibernian Academy) was dominated by traditionalists who steadfastly opposed attempts to bring Irish art into line with contemporary European styles.[citation needed]

Early Irish art

Prehistory

Ardagh Chalice
, c.? 750

Irish gold personal ornaments began to be produced within about 200 years either side of 2000 BC, especially in the thin crescent-shaped disks known as

Broighter Hoard
of the 1st century BC, which appears to mix local and Roman pieces.

Although Ireland tends to be strongly associated in the popular mind with

La Tène style reached Ireland very late, perhaps from about 300 BC, and has left relatively few remains, which are often described by art historians together with their British contemporaries as "Insular Celtic". Buried ironwork does not last long in Irish conditions, and gold is very rare, so the survivals are normally in bronze. The Petrie Crown, Loughnashade Trumpet and a series of discs whose function is mysterious are among the most striking pieces. The decoration on a number of bronze scabbards, many found in the River Bann, have inspired much discussion, as they seem close to other pieces from as far away as Hungary, and the possibility of an immigrant master has been raised. The National Museum of Ireland in Dublin holds the majority of major finds from the whole prehistoric period, with others in the Ulster Museum in Belfast and the British Museum
in London.

Later Irish art

In Ireland, "

reliquaries, were renovated or repaired in the contemporary style.[2]

Early Modern period

Cupid and Psyche in the nuptial bower by Hugh Douglas Hamilton, who trained in Dublin under Robert West. Oil, 1792–93.
Walter Osborne, In a Dublin Park, Light and Shade, 1895

The visual arts were slow to develop in Early Modern Ireland, due to political disruption, and the lack of patrons in either government, the church, and wealthy resident landowners or business class interested in art. Yet beginning in the late 17th century, Irish painting began to develop, especially in portraiture and

In the second half of the 19th century a climate of cultural resurgence and nationalist ideals contributed to the development of an Irish style. A revived interest in the

Irish Catholicism with the still-nascent Irish Republic.[4]

Artists

Early Irish masters include:

and Pat Harris.

Notable Irish sculptors have included Jerome Connor, John Henry Foley, Augustus Saint-Gaudens (born in Dublin, but emigrated to America at six months old), Mary Redmond, John Behan and Oliver Sheppard. Edward Delaney, Rachel Joynt, and Rowan Gillespie are contemporary sculptors. Harry Clarke, Sarah Purser and Evie Hone worked in stained glass.

Portraitists have included Daniel Maclise, John Lavery, William Orpen (both these War Artists in WWI), John Butler Yeats (father of Jack and William Butler), Henry Jones Thaddeus and Nathaniel Hone the Elder.

Apart from

Jack Yeats, brother of the poet, also with an individual style that is hard to classify. The art of Seán Keating
was poised between Social Realism and Romanticism, and addressed public and political themes in an emerging nation.

Irish Modernism began with Mainie Jellett, with later participants being The White Stag group, The Exhibition of Living Art, Norah McGuinness, Louis le Brocquy, Patrick Scott, Patrick Swift, and John Kingerlee. Abstract expressionists included Tony O'Malley, Nano Reid and Patrick Collins.[5]

In

Gladys Maccabe (artist), Basil Blackshaw and Frank McKelvey
.

Contemporary art

Ireland's best known living artists include

Sean Hillen
also work in modern media. The Irish Independent Artists exhibited at the David Hendrik's Gallery, Dublin during the 1970s and early 1980s. Joe O'Connor, figurative/dynamic painter of iconic sports heroes was one of its original members.

Interest in collecting Irish art has expanded rapidly with the economic expansion of the country, primarily focussing on investment in early twentieth century painters.[citation needed] Support for young Irish artists is still relatively minor compared to their European counterparts, as the Arts Council's focus has been on improving infrastructure and professionalism in venues.

An exhibition called 'The Art of a Nation: Irish Works from the Allied Irish Bank and Crawford Art Gallery Collection' was held between 13 and 31 May 2015 at the Mall Galleries, The Mall, London. It celebrated the story of Irish art from 1890s to the present day and included important works by Aloysius O'Kelly, Sir William Orpen, Jack B Yeats, William Scott, Sean Scully and Hughie O'Donoghue.

Mural painting

Northern Ireland has a significant tradition of political mural painting, from both the

republican
standpoints.

See also

References

  1. ^ NMI, 134
  2. ^ NMI, Chapter, 7, Later Medieval Ireland
  3. ^ "Irish Artists: 18th Century: Robert West". Encyclopedia of Irish & World Art: 2010. visual-arts-cork.com.
  4. ^ [1] Steward, James Christian. The Irishness of Irish Painting. Retrieved Nov. 15, 2007.
  5. ^ Irish Arts Review Spring 2009: "Patrick Collins: A Modern Celt", Brian Fallon "Current Issue - Irish Arts Review". Archived from the original on 2010-10-27. Retrieved 2010-07-30.

Further reading

External links