Seán Ó Mordha asks James O’Connor to reflect on the development of his practice since his move to Munich in 1977
James O’Connor presented a career-defining exhibition at the Taylor Galleries recently. The work is meditative and simple in its reduction in form and colour, responding to what he sees or finds in the landscapes of Bavaria or Ireland – stones, trees and plants. A Dubliner born and bred, O’Connor moved permanently to Munich in 1977. He lives with his German wife, Traudel, on the edge of a forest.
Muirne Lydon reveals the original brilliance of Murillo’s Prodigal Son as degraded varnish and old restorations are painstakingly removed from the 17th-century series at the National Gallery of Ireland
Using a selection of germane quotations Rolf Loeber recalls his mentor, the late Maurice Craig; their literary exchange taking the form of a tete-a-tete.
Cosmopolitan yet connected to local issues, Mervyn Wingfield, 7th Viscount Powerscourt played a prominent role in promoting Ireland’s cultural institutions at a pivotal time in their early history, writes Philip McEvansoneya