Margaret Clarke (artist)

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Margaret Clarke
Born
Margaret Crilley

29 July 1881
Newry, County Down, Ireland (present-day Newry, County Down, Northern Ireland)
Died31 October 1961(1961-10-31) (aged 77)
Dublin, Ireland
Resting placeRedford Cemetery, Greystones, County Wicklow
NationalityIrish
Alma materDublin Metropolitan School of Art
Known forPortrait painting
SpouseHarry Clarke
ElectedRHA

Margaret Clarke RHA (née Crilley; 29 July 1881 – 31 October 1961) was an Irish portrait painter.[1]

Life

Margaret Crilley was born in Newry, County Down, Ireland, on 1 August 1884, one of six children of Patrick Crilley.[2] Her date of birth is often given as 29 July 1888, though local records do not support this, suggesting she was born four years earlier.[3] Having initially trained at Newry technical school with her sister Mary intending to become a teacher,[3] in 1905, Margaret won a scholarship to attend the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art.[4] There she studied under William Orpen, who regarded her as one of his most promising students.[3] She completed her studies in 1911 attaining an Art Teacher's Certificate, and began working as Orpen's assistant.[2]

In 1914, Margaret married her fellow student Harry Clarke, much to the surprise of their family and acquaintances.[5] The couple moved into a flat at 33 North Frederick Street. They had three children, Michael, David and Ann.[1] Harry's brother, Walter, married Margaret's sister, Mary, in 1915.[6]

Clarke became the director of the Harry Clarke Stained Glass Studios following the death of her husband in 1931.

Greystones, County Wicklow.[1] She is commemorated with a blue plaque at her birthplace in Newry.[7]

Artistic work

Irish Free State Butter, Eggs and Bacon for our Breakfasts

Clarke first exhibited with the Royal Hibernian Academy in 1913,[3] and would go on to exhibit over 60 artworks in the forty years until 1953, the majority being portraits.[8] Amongst the portrait commissions Clarke received were ones for Dermod O'Brien, President Éamon de Valera, Archbishop McQuaid, and Lennox Robinson.[8][9] Clarke spent a great deal of time on the Aran Islands with fellow artist Seán Keating and her husband,[9] from which she produced a number of landscapes and smaller studies.[9]

A critic noted in 1939 that Clarke produced "remarkable drawings in which individuality is caught in a few swift economical lines."

The Hugh Lane, the Crawford Art Gallery, the Ulster Museum, Limerick City Gallery of Art, The National Self Portrait Collection,[9] and the Irish College in Rome.[1]

Exhibitions

An exhibition at the National Gallery of Ireland in 2017 reevaluated Margaret Clarke's artistic reputation.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Clarke, Frances (2009). "Clarke (Crilley), Margaret". In McGuire, James; Quinn, James (eds.). Dictionary of Irish Biography. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  2. ^ a b c Pyle, Hilary. "Margaret Clarke RHA" (PDF). Hidden Gems and Forgotten People. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d Pyle, Hilary (2007). "Darling Margaret: A Look at Orphen's Favourite Pupil" (PDF). Irish Arts Review. Spring. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  4. ^ Costigan, Lucy. "Harry Clarke - Biography". Harry Clarke. Archived from the original on 21 May 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  5. ISBN 9781845889715
    .
  6. ^ "Margaret Clarke blue plaque in Newry". Blue Plaque Places. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  7. ^ a b Devlin, Patrick. "Margaret Clarke: Artist". The Dictionary of Ulster Biography. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Margaret Clarke RHA (1888-1961)". Encyclopedia of Visual Artists in Ireland. Visual Arts Cork. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  9. ^ "Margaret Clarke: An Independent Spirit | National Gallery of Ireland". www.nationalgallery.ie. Retrieved 16 January 2024.

External links

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