BOSTON. Though St. Patrick's Day has come andgone, several gems of Irish art will be gracing the State House wallfor a few more days. Described as an 'Art Seisiun 2003', a Gaelicterm for gathering, the exhibit was organized for the fourth year bysculptor D.J. Garrity of Springfield.
The eclectic exhibit features an interestingvariety of 55 works by 11 painters, sculptors, carvers and artists inmixed media of Irish and American ancestry.
The exhibit's high point is five pieces of bogart, a unique form of statuary carved by Irish artist Ronnie Grahamfrom wood that has been submerged in peat bogs for thousands ofyears. He uses two kinds of bogwood, pine which is lighter and moremalleable and oak which is dark, almost black, and hard as rock.Working from his studio in Kinvara, County Galway, Graham sculptshighly personalized images of birds or mythic faces from the bog woodto make graceful images in a totally unique style. His genius is hisability to carve images of birds and laughing mythic faces(reminiscent of Edward Munch's paintings) that follow the contours ofthe original bog wood.
Ireland's Vice-Consul encourages the culturaldialog
Wearing a bright green necktie, SeamusHempenstall, Vice-Consul of Ireland, opened the exhibit Tuesdayafternoon, saying, I think it's important these artists have capturedthe many faces of Ireland. He urged artists to portray not just the'mythic' Ireland of legend and historical beauty but the modernIreland, coming to grips with the troubles to emerge as a new andvital European nation. Hempenstall attributed the vitality andrichness of Irish literature and other art to the development of apowerful tradition of oral culture that sprung up over centuries ofcolonization. We have a long and cultured past, he said. But it isimportant to reflect on both sides of our image.
While the 11 artists exhibited works in eclecticstyles, Garrity suggested that a closer look would reveal a sharedinterest in their Irish heritage.
A native of County Galway born within the soundof the Atlantic Ocean, painter James Culligan exhibited16 landscapes and portraits that displayed a refined sense of lightand a deep appreciation for Ireland's rural beauty. Painting withoils on canvas, he said his landscapes accurately convey the socialfabric of the times in the details of houses and manor. Outstandingamong Culligan's paintings were a handful recalling My Granny'sKitchen, an unabashedly nostalgic look at the interior of a ruralcottage bathed in the warm glow of the fire light. 'I'm generallyvery conscious of light but objective in my subject matter. 'My worksreveal a knowledge of Ireland's history, including the earlyChristian era,' he said.
His son, Seamas Culligan, who was born inNavan, County Meath, contributed one of the exhibit's few overtlypolitical works of art, a firey portrait of early 20th century laborleader James Larkin delivering a speech.
Originally from Ballina in County Mayo, MarkLynott works in mixed media to create an interesting type ofminiature portrait of historic buildings. Now living in Boston,Lynott has since earned degrees from the Massachusetts College of Artand Maine College of Art. Stretching canvas over a small oval frame,he has painted red, stylized reproductions of the White House andLeinster House which served as its architectural model. Both imagesbare the inscription, Courage and Determination, a testimony to boththe fortitude of the Irish immigrant and the American spirit afterthe Sep. 11 terrorist attacks. 'My pictures are intimate and personaland might remind you of the intimate Victorian portraits from thepast', he said.
Women-artists come from near andfar
American born painter Mary McAndrew, ofClarence Center, New York, paints realistic oil portraits whileplumbing her Irish ancestry in a variety of styles. Working in oils,she displayed several sharp, clear portraits, among them Dr. WilsonGreatbatch, the inventor of the pacemaker and of a young Indiandancer, rich in detail. McAndrew uses a carbon and conte pencil forfine-lined portraits of Salvador Dali, while using luminous oils forsurreal treatments of mythological images.
Regional photographer Carol Shea ofWestfield has pointed her lens at Cape Cod's ever-changing landscapeand Ireland's seemingly timeless countryside. Her 12 colorphotographs lovingly capture close-ups and panoramas of Capeseascapes. But perhaps Shea's crowning achievement is a series ofcolor photographs revealing the Irish countryside and farms in allits glory. Her large color portrait of 'The Man from Oughterbard' hascaptured a seemingly ageless image of an old man walking along aquiet lane next to a stonewall and beneath the drooping limbs oftrees.
Garrity credited House Speaker Thomas Finneran forbringing the exhibit to the State House after three successful showsat Boston College. He is exhibiting just one bronze sculpture, alife-sized portrait of author Samuel Beckett that uses jagged bronzeshapes to capture the existential angst of the writer.
The exhibit will remain on display in the DoricHall in the second floor of the State House through Friday, March 21,2003.