The intense colours and brilliant light of Spain and France have sustained and inspired Irish impressionist Desmond Carrick since his first visit in the 1950s, writes Anne-Marie Keaveney
Cézanne and Bonnard immediately spring to mind when assessing the work of Desmond Carrick, such is his understanding and appreciation of French art of the early to mid 20th century. Although he did not have the opportunity to work in France until the 1970s, Carrick was already well acquainted with the work of its greatest painters, with whom he shares a love of colour, pattern and the decorative possibilities of paint. The ability to capture light and atmosphere through plein-air painting and direct communication with the subject has been an enduring feature of his work. Carrick found that the refinements and subtleties of these painters echoed his own concerns and sustained him as he forged his vision on the way to becoming one of the finest Irish painters of his generation
On the eve of his show at the Hunt Museum, Limerick, in Winter 2009 Joseph McBrinn considered the unique aesthetic Rudolf Heltzel has brought to jewellery design.
