America's eye : Irish paintings from the collection of Brian P. Burns

148 Pages·1996·10 MB·English

by  Dalsimer, Adele

BOSTON COLLEGE MUSEUM OF ART
America’s Eye:
Irish Paintings
from the Collection of
Brian Burns
P.
Thispublicationisissuedin
conjunctionwith theexhibition
America’sEye:IrishPaintings
fi-omtheCollectionofBrian
P. Burns,atthe Boston College
MuseumofArt,January26
toMay 19, 1996,and the
Hugh LaneMunicipal Gallery
ofModernArt, Dublin,
June 19 toAugust25, 1996.
Theexhibitionwas
organized bythe BostonCollege
MuseumofArt.
Thispublicationwas
supportedbyBoston College
andpublished bythe
Boston CollegeMuseumofArt.
Copyright© 1996
bythe BostonCollege
MuseumofArt,
ChestnutHill,Mass.
Editedby
Adele M. Dalsimerand
Vera Kreilkamp
Copyedited by
JenniferGrinnell and
Naomi Rosenberg
Designedbykorgroup
Colorphotographyby
Cecile Keefe, Donald Felton,
RobertNelsonand
JohnThomas
Cover:
MistyMorning,
JackButlerYeats
oilonpanel
CollectionofBrian P. Burns
Typesetin
Galliard and Frutiger
PrintedbyUniversal Press,
Waltham,Mass.
LibraryofCongress
Catalogue Card Number:
95-83661
ISBN: 9640153-4-X
America’s Eye:
Irish Paintings from the Collection of Brian P. Burns
Edited by Adele M. Dalsimer and Vera Kreilkamp
BOSTON COLLEGE MUSEUM OF ART
Acknowledgements
First and foremost,we wish to thank JenniferGrinnell, CoordinatorofExhibitionsof
the Boston College Museum ofArt, for her unstintingcommitment to the project.
Without her talent, precision, and devotion, thisexhibition and publicationwould
not have been possible. Jennifersupervised the publication production from design to
print, and consistentlydemonstrated her intelligence, thoroughness, and generosity.
Alston Conley, Museum Curator, designed the installation not onlvwith an artist’s
awarenessofthe colorsand forms ofthe works but alsowith a sensitive understanding
ofthe social and historicalconceptsthe editorssoughttoconvey.
Kerry Leonard, undergraduate Research Fellowat the Boston College Museum
ofArt, meticulously kept trackofthe myriad detailsofthe exhibition andcatalogue.
Kerrycoordinated the photographs forthe catalogue, andread, fact-checked and
typeset the entriesas they made theirwaybetween two continents. Herexceptional
commitmentwas instrumental to the success ofthisproject.
Honey Swartz, the Museum’sAdministrator, and Catherine McLoughlin,Administra-
tiveAssistant to the Irish Studies Program, nurturedand supported the project and
us throughout.
By providing the editors and essayistswith photographic reproductionsofpainting
in the exhibition, StephenVedderofthe Boston CollegeAudio-Visual Department,
made it possible forall ofus to begin ourwork.
We arc grateful forthe fastidious and elegant copy-editingofNaomi Rosenberg.
We thankAnne Callahan ofkorgroupwhodesigned the catalogue, posterand
invitation forthe exhibition with an artist’seve.
Catherine Marshall, ofthe Irish Museum ofModernArt, Christina Kennedv and
Daire O’Connell,ot the Hugh Lane Municipal GalleryofModern Art, provided us
with informative catalogue copv.
Ihe editors alsowish to thank the eight essayists,whoviewed the paintings from the
prospective ottheirindividual disciplinary backgrounds, but whose workcollectively
reveals the richnessofIreland’svisual tradition as a scholarlv resource.
Finally,we wish to thank Nancy Netzer, Directorofthe Boston College Museum
ofArt. Without herexpertise and advise at every stage ofthis project, America’sEye
would never have become a realitv.
Acknowledgements
AdclcM. Dalsimerand Vera Kreilkamp
Director’s Preface
Nancy Netzer
Foreword
Barbara Dawson
Introduction
America’s Eye: The Irish Art ofBrian P. Burns
AdclcM. Dalsimer, Boston College
Table of Contents
Vera Kreilkamp PineManor College
,
Essays
In CountyMayo J.H. Craig: The Loneliness ofthe
Long-Distance Landscape
Angela Bourke, University CollegeDublin
When aSeanchaidhe is nota Seanchaidhe and
a Paddy is not a Paddy
John T. Koch, Boston College
ReflectionsonWalter Osborne’s Studyfrom Nature
MargaretMacCurtain, UniversityCollege Dublin, Emeritus
Burns VisitingScholarin IrishStudies, Boston College
Looking Out, Looking In: Nautical Paintings by
MacGonigal,Yeats, and Keating
Kristin Morrison, Boston College
Artist andArtisan: James Brenan as Art Educator
PeterMurray, CrawfordMunicipalArtGallery
Puttingon Airs: Cultural Nationalism as Consumer
Commodity in the Irish FreeState
Philip O'Leary, Boston College
The Iking O’Toole and Other Relics ofOld Decency
TimothyO’Neill, Burns VisitingScholarin IrishStudies, Boston College
Immoral Economy: Interpreting Erskine Nicol’s The Tenant
Kevin Whelan, Burns VisitingScholarin IrishStudies, Boston College
NoteSto theReader:
Catalogue
Numbered plates in this book
areworks in the exhibition. Christina Kennedy, HughLaneMunicipalGalleryofModernArt
Additional plates are CatherineMarshall, IrishMuseum ofModern Art
designated as “figures.” Daire O’Connell, HughLane MunicipalGalleryof Modern Art
References are listed in full at
the end ofeach essay. AdditionalWorks in the Irish Collection ofBrian P. Burns
SeriouscollectionsofIrish art and antiquitiesare, in contrastwith those of
othersocieties,relatively recent phenomena. Althoughthe Royal IrishAcademywas
founded in 1785 asa center forresearch on Irish civilization, George Petrie, the
founderofscientific archaeologyin Ireland, began to pull togetherall the native
metalwork in its posession to form aNational Museum ofAntiquities onlvas recentlv
as the middle ofthe lastcentury. Indeed, the National GallervofIreland, the largest
repositoryofIrish painting,was onlyfounded afterthe Irish Industrial Exhibition in
Dublin in 1855. Works thatemerged from this post-Famine period provide a fitting
startingpoint for,with a fewnotable exceptions, the collection ofBrian P. Burns.
Filledwithworksofart, Brian Burns’s homes have become vessels ofIrish civilization,
so to speak. The Boston College Museum is pleased to have been able to selectfrom
them, probably the mostextensive and importantassemblagesofIrish paintingsin
America, the works that comprise this exhibition. America’sEyecelebrates more
than a collector’s legacy in the traditional sense: rather, more, it reflects a history
ofthe developing attitudes and changing tastes that form partofthe Irish-American
experience in tire secondhalfofthe twentieth century. The primary goal ofthe
exhibition is to introduce anAmerican audience to the riches ofIrish painting, against
an interdisciplinary backdrop.
In this regard, the Museum was fortunate to persuade twooutstandingAmerican
scholars ofIrish literature and culture. ProfessorAdele DalsimerofBoston College
and ProfessorVera Kreilkamp ofPine ManorCollege, to sene asco-curatorsofthe
exhibition and co-editors ofthe catalogue. Theirextraordinary knowledge ofIreland,
theirenergy', and theirliterary gifts provided the mainspringofthis undertaking.
Theyworked tirelessly to select paintings that epitomize keyelementsofIrish culture
and society between the mid-nineteenth and the mid-twentieth centuries and to
gathertogethera group ofrenowned scholars from various disciplines towrite essavs
that cast theseworks in a broad cultural context.
We alsowish to express ourthanks to Barbara Dawson, the directorofthe Hugh
Fane Municipal Gallery ofModern Art in Dublin, forarrangingforthe exhibition to
be shown there and forselecting three fine scholars, Christina Kennedy, Catherine
Marshall, and Daire O'Connell, towrite entries forthis catalogue.
This, as all exhibitions, results from a complex collaboration. As always, logisticswere
efficiently handled bythe Museum’s administrator Helen Swartz. The Museum’s
coordinatorofexhibitions, JenniferGrinnell managed the production ofthe catalogue
from beginning to end. Without Jennifer's passionate dedication toeditingand
layout, the undertakingwould never have been completed. Naomi Rosenberg saw to
copyediting ofthe catalogue; much additional help in enteringcorrections, organiz-
ingphotographs and preparing information for bibliographies,provenance, and wall
text came from the Museum’sstudent research-assistant Kerry Leonard. Carolyn
Kavanaugh edited the checklist ofadditionalworks in the Burns collection and helped
with final proof-readingofthe text. We also thankAnne Callahan for the handsome
design ofthe catalogue.
Given the freedom that comeswith movable walls our talented curatorAlston Conley
has designedrooms thatcorrespond to andemphasize the larger themes ol the
exhibition. We are also grateful to the Museum’ssecurity staff, led byAlice Harkins,
forits diligence and dedication.
From the outset GregoryGromadzki, the conservatorofthe Burns collection,worked
closelywith the curators and Museum staff. He provideddocumentation on the
collection and arranged forand supervised the photography, packingand transportof
theworks. His learned eye and skillful hand have ensured that the paintings are
presented in a state as close to theiroriginal aspossible. We also wish to make special
mention ofthe valuable assistance Brian Burnsreceived in the formation ofhis
collection from hiswife, Eileen, andseveral dealers, collectorsand scholars in Ireland:
Barbara Dawson, Helen Dillon,Val Dillon, the lateWillie Dillon, the Honorable
Desmond FitzGerald, Mr. and Mrs. James Gorry, Raymond Keaveney, Christina
Kennedy, Muriel McCarthy, and Larry Powell. The organizers are particularlygrateful
to Eileen Burns for hersupport, enthusiasm, and keen eye for beauty in all aspects of
this project.
As always, the avid supportofthe administration ofBoston College, especially
J. Donald Monan, S.J., Margaret Dwyer, Francis Campanella,William Neenan, S.J.,
Mary Lou DeLong, J. Robert Barth, S.J., Richard Spinello, DennisYesalonia, S.J.,
and Richard Landau, aswell as thatofthe Friends ofthe Boston College Museum of
Art, chaired by Nancy and John Joyce,wascrucial to the success ofthis project.
Finally,we reserve our mostprofound gratitude for Brian Burns,whose foresight in
assembling these visual records ofIrish culture andwhose generositv in lending them
made this exhibition and scholarlyendeavorpossible. Itis to him and to all that he
has accomplishedin collecting that thiscatalogue is dedicated.
NancyNetzer, Director
Boston College Museum ofArt
The centuryofIrish art represented inAmerica’sEye: IrishPaintingsfrom the
Collection ofBrian P. Burnsencompasses the stylistic diversity and range ofsubject
matterthatpreoccupied Irish painters from the latterpartoftheVictorian period,
through the evolution ofmodern Irish art in the firsthalfofthe twentiethcentury.
The nineteenth centurygenre scenes included in this exhibition reveal the penchant
ofthe age forstvlized viewsofpeasant life whilstthe equestrian scenes attest to
the enduring Irish passion forracing.
The revolutionarv developmentswhich occurred in artpractice in the lastdecade of
the nineteenth century in France and the resulting re-evaluation ofcritical criteria
did not go unnoticed in Ireland. The appeal ofthe innovative teachingacademiesin
Paris and the artists’ colonieswhichproliferatedin regions proved mostattractive
with Europeans, Scandinavians andAmericansparticipating in Bohemian lifestyle.
Foreword Brittanywas a popular region forartists’ colonies, the most famous being Pont-Aven.
.Artistswere captivated by the traditionalcostume worn by die Bretons asis evident
in Valter Chetwood-Atken’s splendid portraval ofa group ofBreton women. With its
A
unusual perspective, Songto Springhas asitsprimaryfocus the distinctive Breton
headdress forwhich the regionwasrenowned. Sir lohn Lavery (nos. 4, 5l,Walter
Osborne (nos. 33-35), Roderic O’Conor no. 38) and FrankO’Meara mo. 39) also
worked in France evaluatingand contributingto the ongoingartistic revolutionary
processes; theirapproach to theirartwas highlyindividual,with the figure retaining
an integral position, unlike the impressionists.
The spectacularscenery in the west ofIreland was the primarvsource ofinspiration
for artists such as Paul Henry (no. 7), Maurice MacGonigal (nos. 15, 16), and Jack B.
Yeats (nos. 40-46). Yeats, perhapsourbest known artist internationally, deri—ved most
ofhis subject matter from thewayoflife—in County Sligo; the fairs, circuses Duffy’s
Circuswas the most famous Irish circus horse races and fisherman are constant
subjects in hiswork. Originally, a graphic designer,Yeatsgradually used bolder
and looser brushwork. His later, more abstractworkwaslikened to thatofhis friend,
the Austrianartist Oscar Kokoschka. Like Yeats, Maurice MacGonigal drewon the
west of Ireland for his subject matter. He and Sean Keating used themes from thewest
to express their nationalism, treating theirsubjects asicons ofpure Irish culture.
This exhibition America’sEyeprovides audiences atthe Boston College Museum
ofArt with an excellent opportunityto assess the evolution ofIrish art from the mid-
nineteenth century to the 1950s. We are delighted to be associatedwiththis
exhibition, as it has particular relevance for us at the Hugh Lane Municipal Gallcrv
of Modern .Art in Dublin. At the beginningofthis century, in 1904, Hugh Lane
organized whatwasto be the firstpublic exhibitionofIrish artatthe Guildhall
in London. It was an outstandingsuccess and provided him with support toestablish
a collection ofModern.Art in Dublin. Justas this exhibition attempts to bring
together the most significant Irish artistsofthe period, Hugh Lane assembled the
bestcollection of modern Irish ofthe time, togetherwith significantexamples
of modern European painting. Ourcongratulations to Brian Burns for making his
collection available to.American and Irish audiences; to Boston College forinitiating
the exhibition, in particular Professor NancyXetzer, Directorofthe Museum of
Art, ProfessorAdele Dalsinter, Co-Directorofthe Irish Studies Program, and Profes-
sor\era Kreilkamp, ofthe English Program at Pine ManorCollege. Thiscatalogue
of paintings and the collection ofessaysplace Irish art in an interdisciplinary context.
1 alsowish tocongratulate Christina Kennedy, Catherine Marshall and Daire
O'Connellwhowrote the catalogue entries, and Jennifer Grinncll, Kern Leonard
and Stonev Conleyofthe Boston College Museum of.Art.
While Irish literary prowess iswidely acknowledged, ourvisual tradition, with the
exceptionofcontemporarypractice, remains relatively unknown. This imbalance can
only be addressed byfocused international exposure. The collection ofBrian Bumson
exhibit at the Boston College Museum ofArtprovidesone such showcase for Irish art
Barbara Dawson, Director
Hugh Lane Municipal GalleryofModern .Art
6
Introduction
America’s Eye:
The Irish Art ofBrian P. Burns
Adelc M Dalsimerand a... Ireland notasshe isdisplayed inguide book orhistory, butIrelandseen
\era Krcilkamp because ofthe magnificentvitalityofherpainters, in thegloryofherpassions."
—
William ButlerYeats, speech at the Banquetofthe IrishAcademyofLetters,
17August 1937
In 1992, when the exhibition MasterEuropean Paintingsfrom the NationalGallery
ofIrelandbrought the work ofClaude, Gainsborough, and Chardin from Dublin to
Boston’s Museum ofFine Arts, manypuzzledviewers asked where the Irish artistswere.
Even to the casual museum-goer, the answerseemedpainfully evident. With the exception
ofJackYeats, known toAmericans as much for his illustrious brotheras forhisown
work, Ireland had produced noeminent artists since anonymous monkscreated the Book
ofKells. Although rich in literary and musical traditions, Ireland appeared to Americans as
a nationwithout avisual imagination. With America'sEye:IrishPaintingsFrom the
Collection ofBrian P. Burns Boston College corrects this misreading bypresenting Ireland
,
asWilliam ButlerYeatswould, in all the “magnificentvitalityofherpainters.”
Butwhatis Irish art? Ratherthan enterinto the current debate that locates the source of
the nation’s post-Famine visual art either in nationalism1 orin international Modernism,2
the curators ofthis exhibition propose a lesspoliticized definition. The works in this
collection, produced in the nineteenth and the first halfofthe twentieth centuries, have
been designated Irish foravariety ofreasons. Most frequently theircreatorswere Irish-
born, butsome, Erskine Nicol orFI. Robertson Craig, forexample,were foreign-born
paintersw—ho produced considerable work in Ireland. The paintings generally depict I—rish
subjects landscapes, individual or group portraits, interiors, genre scenes, still lifes
butseveral Irish artists like Frank O’Meara, Roderic O’Conor, and JohnLaverv,chose
settings in Paris, Brittany,Antwerp, oreven Tangiers. The Irish art in America’sE\e, then,
is a loosely defined entity created by men and women whowere either born in orpro-
duced a significant bodyofwork in Ireland.3
Such an inclusive definition ofthe national art suggests that, like serious professional
artists elsewhere, mostIrish painterswere not provincial in theirapproach to theircraft.
In tact, in IrishArtandModernism S. B. Kennedyargues thatunlike the writersof
,
the Literary Revival,whose poetry and prose were “closelyassociated with the separatist
revolutionarypolitics ofthe time,” contemporary Insh artists “forged a broaderand
lessisolationistphilosophy” (1). Thus, America’sEyepresentsworks influenced
1 Inshort,theriseofIrishpainting,liketheriseofIrishliterature,islinkedinseparablywithIreland'sbelatedprogresstowardpolitical
independence"(Fallon 15).
- "Theoverallthrustinthevisualarts,unliketheliteraryarts,was... inspiredbytheinternational ModemMovement" SB Kennedy 2
B 3 InIrishPainting,BrianKennedyoffersasimilarlyinclusivedefinition(7).