Lot 82 : Paul Henry RHA (1876-1958) EVENING IN CONNEMARA
Whyte's - Dublin - 24 November 2008
Title:
Paul Henry RHA (1876-1958) EVENING IN CONNEMARA
Description:
Paul Henry RHA (1876-1958) EVENING IN CONNEMARA signed lower left; titled on reverse oil on panel 46 by 55cm., 18 by 21.7in. Although the title 'Evening In Connemara by Paul Henry R.H.A' is inscribed on the reverse in the artist's hand, this must be a composition also known as The Village by the Lake (indeed a title, which appears to read 'The Village by the Lake', is also inscribed on the reverse in the artist's hand, although partly scored out by him). Reviewing the artist's 1942 Dublin exhibition the Irish Times (17 November 1942) commented on the "unexpected touch of pink between mountain and cloud" in the picture. The bravura painting of the clouds and the subtle modelling of the mountains, the low hills in the middle distance and the reflections in the water in the foreground, combined with the relatively limited palette and sense of stillness in the scene testify to the residual influence of Whistler in Henry's art. The concise - and precise - handling of the paint throughout well illustrates Henry's ability to capture mood and atmosphere and the nature of the terrain with a minimum of means. The view almost certainly represents a scene on Achill Sound, County Mayo; the background mountain being Corraun. The composition, especially the disposition of the cottages in the middle distance, with their reflections in the water, is similar to a number of other works by Henry, notably Connemara Landscape, 1916-19, Achill Sound, 1922-3, A Village in Connemara, 1922-9, and Evening on Achill Sound, 1924-5 (see Kennedy 2007, numbers 460, 589, 599 and 608 respectively). Henry often made kindred compositions and these were normally done (perhaps years later) from drawings originally made on the spot in his sketchbooks. Evening in Connemara, however, was probably painted in July or September 1942 when the artist holidayed in the West of Ireland. S. B. Kennedy Seaforde, Co. Down Provenance: Combridge Gallery, Dublin, 1946; Whence purchased by the original owner from Maine, USA; Private collection, Dublin
Exhibited:
Recent Paintings by Paul Henry, RHA', Combridge's Gallery, Dublin, from 16 November 1942 (catalogue number unknown); 'Pictures by Paul Henry, RHA', Heal and Son, Tottenham Court Road, London, from 14 January 1946, catalogue no. 11
Published:
S. B. Kennedy, Paul Henry: with a catalogue of the Paintings, Drawings, Illustrations, Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 2007, number 1040, as The Village by the Lake
