Visionary or Magic Realist? Brian Fallon evaluates the art of Patrick Hennessy
Patrick Hennessy is a strange, even exotic presence in Irish art and there have been few genuine attempts –if any — to define just where he stands or essentially what his art is about. He did not lack recognition, since his work was acquired for public collections, he received his due meed of publicity, and private collectors bought his work quite avidly, at least for a time. (Presumably some still do, to judge from the way in which his paintings turn up at art auctions, sometimes for quite fancy prices.) He became an RHA (full member) in his middle thirties and during his lifetime exhibitions were frequent, not only in Cork and Dublin but overseas. Hennessy, in fact, was for several decades a ‘name’ painter, at least in his homeland where his individual, quasi-Surreal style put him firmly among the Moderns, even if later he tended to be classed as an academic artist – which, inherently, he was not.
With the recent passing of Ronald Tallon, Seán Ó Laoire reflects on the end of an era and remembers Michael Scott, founder and charismatic figurehead of Scott Tallon Walker
Catherine Marshall assesses the unwavering artistic journey of Maria Simonds-Gooding in advance of her retrospective in Dublin
The class of 2014 is looking anew to the tangible joys of creativity, in contrast to its documentation, writes Gerry Walker of the trends emerging from this year’s graduate shows.