Highlights include three works by the distinguished artist Gerard Dillon which illustrate his struggles with his self-identity and the damning effects of the loss of his three brothers in the 1960s. Two pieces by Markey Robinson which celebrate his Irish heritage, as well as a vibrant piece by Colin Middleton capturing sundown in 1960 at Carnalridge. Continuing the survey of Irish art through the ages we are brought right to the current day with striking pieces by Felim Egan and Martin Finnin, who is currently represented by John Martin Gallery.

“It was a wonderful experience unwrapping the collection and viewing the works for the first time. I was immediately struck by the explosion of colour that revealed itself from inside every package. I was transported to Ireland where I could imagine myself standing on the edge of the coastline looking back across the vast rolling hills of the Irish landscape, surrounded by fresh sea air. Whilst we are all living through these unprecedented times and find ourselves confined to our own homes, it was an absolute joy to travel in my mind to Ireland, even if only for a moment.”

It soon became evident that the overarching inspiration for the collection was the love of the Irish landscape. The artists were each drawn to the untouched nature, in search of a sense of escapism from the gritty cities of Dublin and Belfast. Maurice MacGonigal captures our imaginations with his landscape towards Letterfrack which is covered by a purple haze with the diamond mountains beyond. Kitty Wilmer O’Brien’s almost tropical landscape showing Boathaven, Old Head in Louisburg, County Mayo is warm and inviting as the viewer is tempted towards the water’s edge. Sean McSweeney, whose name has become synonymous with abstract and expressive views of the Sligo coastline, is featured in the collection with a dramatic and bold interpretation in a rich emerald green. 

Two works by Felim Egan are particularly striking. Whilst Egan's work has been placed in the abstract category he always said that it was the landscapes around Sandymount Strand and Dublin Bay that inspired his work, with their large empty sands, vast everchanging skies and the long horizons. Egan's canvases have become renowned for their monochromatic palette with hieroglyphic motifs and markings. The paintings are built up with layers of thin colour and stone powder ground into the acrylic. 

Featured in Dreweatts sale is a large-scale untitled piece in a calming shade of blue and a smaller study in vibrant yellow. His work is tied to the place he lived and hold a deep emotional connection to the artist. Roisin McDonough, Chief Executive of the Arts Council, described Egan as one of the most important painters to emerge from Northern Ireland in the early 1980s. 

Gerard Dillon, in particular was drawn to the coastline, ‘Think of the West and the life lived there. Then think of my childhood and youth in the middle of industrial Belfast. Is not the West and the life lived there a great strange kind of wonder to the visitor from the redbrick city?’. West Ireland offered an escape, an alternative to city life and the glum streets of London and Belfast. Dillon focused on landscape painting through the 40s and early 50s focusing on the land and its people.

The collection includes three works by Gerard Dillon dating to the 1960s. Pierrot and cat shows Pierrot lying peacefully on his side sleeping in the upper half of the picture. The viewer is struck by the colour contrast of the bright white against the rich red which leads to the lower half of the picture which is much darker. A nervous looking black cat is depicted right in the centre with two indistinct faces towards the upper right. It is possible that the Pierrot and the two faces represent each of Dillon's three brothers. Dillon's three brothers tragically passed away within quick succession of one another between 1962-1966. This traumatic period of loss gravely affected his state of mind. His works turned into a form of escapist art as Dillon tried to cope with the loss of his brothers. Throughout this period he returned continuously to the motif of the clown and the figure of Pierrot. This was a theme that was explored by other artists in the Ulster group in the 1960s. They were interested in the subject of the relationship between comedy and tragedy and this would come to be a prominent feature in the work of the group.  

There are two works by Markey Robinson in this private collection of Irish art. Both pieces show figures within traditional Irish landscapes. Coming Home, shows two anonymous shawled women looking out on a dark, atmospheric yet calm sea. The dark brown sails of the boats, flat muted-colour palette and simplicity of the geometric composition are all recurring features employed by the artist and found in many of his works. 

A second work is an early study by Robinson titled Shawlies in the village. Robinson uses flat blocks of colour together with a spontaneity of line and bold and definitive strokes. The overall effect and purpose of these works was not one of personal identification, but instead an embodiment of what the Shawlies represent: a yearning for peace and serenity. Growing up in Belfast during the Second World War, these works were a commentary on escapism; looking to the more simple life of the Irish countryside. 

Another highlight from the collection is Sundown: Carnalridge, No. 2 by Colin Middleton. This work is bursting with colour. Middleton has stripped back the landscape into the components that were used to build it, the earth, the hills and the sky are all broken into small brushstrokes stretching repetitively across the canvas. The warmth of the colour palette evokes a sense of heat rising from the canvas and we see strong influences of Vincent Van Gogh, an artist that made a lasting impact on Middleton.

AUCTION DETAILS
Thursday 18 March | 10.30am
Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE

This is an online auction with an auctioneer.

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