Peter Murray recalls the glittering career of Frederic William Burton, author of Ireland’s favourite painting
The art of Frederic William Burton has recently come to national attention as a result of his 1864 painting, Hellelil and Hildebrand: The Meeting on the Turret Stairs being selected by RTÉ television viewers as ‘Ireland’s Favourite Painting’. The plaudit, not unjustified, has now made this one of the most sought-after artworks in the National Gallery of Ireland. However, as it is painted in the delicate medium of watercolour, it is displayed to visitors for just a few hours a week, a restriction that perhaps heightens the sense of the work representing a ‘forbidden love’.
The realm of faith illustrated in the Book of Kells can be elusive to modern audiences; however, a new study by Bernard Meehan provides valuable insights into this peerless manuscript