Se n Keating (1889 -1977) The Arrival of the Turf Boat, Ara...
Hammer
€28,000
Se n Keating (1889 -1977) The Arrival of the Turf Boat, Aran Oil on artist's board, 49.5 x 60cm (19_ x 23_) Signed The mercurial nature of the sea held great fascination for Se n Keating. He spent hours contemplating it, days fishing and swimming in it, weeks and months travelling on it, and many years sketching and painting it. Primarily an outdoor person, he sought personal peace and artistic inspiration in its reflective qualities, and in the ever-changing colours of the sky and the movement of cloud. From an early stage in his artistic career he sought, and found, a comparable sense of freedom among the people of the Aran Islands, for whom the lifestyle was entirely dependent on the daily humour of the sea. While the colourful local costume worn by the local women was often the focus of his artistic attention, most of his studies of the Islanders at work or rest are bounded by an atmospheric panorama created by the climatic conditions. This example of Keating's work illustrates a then long-standing routine on the Aran Islands. The image of the thatched, cosy cottage, with smoke spiralling from the chimney from a turf-stacked fire, may well arouse homely thoughts. But there was no bog on any of the islands, and so there was no indigenous turf. A boat, such as the one illustrated in this instance, brought turf to the little pier at Kilronan, where it was unloaded onto the quayside for collection by the locals. The ritual, which was entirely dependent on the disposition of the sea, encouraged exchange of many types: pecuniary, argumentative, discursive, familial, and maybe even intoxicating. But ultimately, the custom, and many others like it, illustrates the extent to which the Aran Islanders were dependent on the sea. This peaceful scene offers a well-observed example of Keating's artistic concerns. He shows the habitual rhythm of the Islanders amidst the powerful, but momentarily restful energy of the sea, while restrained grey clouds navigate the blue sky. Keating's ability to render great atmospheric detail is notable and was already apparent in his earliest surviving painting of Aran, a watercolour titled Steamer to the Aran Islands (1913). But there is a greater intensity of colour and power in his paintings featuring water and climatic conditions in the 1930s and 40s. We acknowledge with thanks the writings of Dr Eimear OÕConnor, upon which this piece is based.
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Hammer
€28,000
Se n Keating (1889 -1977) The Arrival of the Turf Boat, Aran Oil on artist's board, 49.5 x 60cm (19_ x 23_) Signed The mercurial nature of the sea held great fascination for Se n Keating. He spent hours contemplating it, days fishing and swimming in it, weeks and months travelling on it, and many years sketching and painting it. Primarily an outdoor person, he sought personal peace and artistic inspiration in its reflective qualities, and in the ever-changing colours of the sky and the movement of cloud. From an early stage in his artistic career he sought, and found, a comparable sense of freedom among the people of the Aran Islands, for whom the lifestyle was entirely dependent on the daily humour of the sea. While the colourful local costume worn by the local women was often the focus of his artistic attention, most of his studies of the Islanders at work or rest are bounded by an atmospheric panorama created by the climatic conditions. This example of Keating's work illustrates a then long-standing routine on the Aran Islands. The image of the thatched, cosy cottage, with smoke spiralling from the chimney from a turf-stacked fire, may well arouse homely thoughts. But there was no bog on any of the islands, and so there was no indigenous turf. A boat, such as the one illustrated in this instance, brought turf to the little pier at Kilronan, where it was unloaded onto the quayside for collection by the locals. The ritual, which was entirely dependent on the disposition of the sea, encouraged exchange of many types: pecuniary, argumentative, discursive, familial, and maybe even intoxicating. But ultimately, the custom, and many others like it, illustrates the extent to which the Aran Islanders were dependent on the sea. This peaceful scene offers a well-observed example of Keating's artistic concerns. He shows the habitual rhythm of the Islanders amidst the powerful, but momentarily restful energy of the sea, while restrained grey clouds navigate the blue sky. Keating's ability to render great atmospheric detail is notable and was already apparent in his earliest surviving painting of Aran, a watercolour titled Steamer to the Aran Islands (1913). But there is a greater intensity of colour and power in his paintings featuring water and climatic conditions in the 1930s and 40s. We acknowledge with thanks the writings of Dr Eimear OÕConnor, upon which this piece is based.
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