Mary Swanzy
THE BIRD CATCHER
Lot 106
Price Realised:
€10,000
Estimate:
€10,000 - €15,000
Mary Swanzy HRHA, 1882-1978
THE BIRD CATCHER
Oil on canvas, 20" x 24" (51 x 61cm), signed and dated '38.
Provenance: The Artists' Estate; Sold these rooms, Outstanding Irish Art Auction, 27 November 2007, no. 70; Private Collection.
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Lot 106
Mary Swanzy
THE BIRD CATCHER
Lot 106
Mary Swanzy
THE BIRD CATCHER
Estimate:
€10,000 - €15,000
Mary Swanzy HRHA, 1882-1978
THE BIRD CATCHER
Oil on canvas, 20" x 24" (51 x 61cm), signed and dated '38.
Provenance: The Artists' Estate; Sold these rooms, Outstanding Irish Art Auction, 27 November 2007, no. 70; Private Collection.
At a time when Ireland was steeped in conservatism, especially in the visual arts, Dublin-born Mary Swanzy travelled widely, absorbing modernist ideas that placed her at the forefront of the Irish avant-garde. She studied in Paris, at the point where Cubism was beginning to make its mark, but she identified more strongly with a later generation of artists, spearheaded by Delaunay. After 1914 she exhibited regularly at both the Paris Salon des Indpendants and the Beaux Arts, and by 1946 was included in shows that included artists like Chagall. Although her style changed over the decades, with Cubism and Surrealism strongly shaping certain periods, her work is always distinctly recognisable.
The Bird Catcher demonstrates Swanzys delicate, lightness of touch, where she overlays thin layers of pigment to create surfaces that have a glowing translucence. Never muddy, there is a fresh purity in her colours, even in the shadows. The sky, tree, cap, the clothesall reveal unexpected hues. The foreground moves through blue, to pink, to yellow and green. However, Swanzy lowers the register so that the result is softened, subtle and sophisticated.
Although academic drawing skill is evident in this painting, Swanzy stops it from taking over. There is a looseness in her brushstrokes which gives the painting a modern, almost casual feel. The composition reinforces this, with a feeling of immediacy youd find in a snapshot. As the figure of the bird catcher surges forward, one can sense the speed of his pursuit, and that of the bird that escapes his grasp. Light is focused on the pursuers face, emphasising his intense concentration on the task at hand. The painting has a luminosity, a rightness and a sense of harmony that is not easily achieved by a lesser artist.
Dr Frances Ruane HRHA
October 2024
THE BIRD CATCHER
Oil on canvas, 20" x 24" (51 x 61cm), signed and dated '38.
Provenance: The Artists' Estate; Sold these rooms, Outstanding Irish Art Auction, 27 November 2007, no. 70; Private Collection.
At a time when Ireland was steeped in conservatism, especially in the visual arts, Dublin-born Mary Swanzy travelled widely, absorbing modernist ideas that placed her at the forefront of the Irish avant-garde. She studied in Paris, at the point where Cubism was beginning to make its mark, but she identified more strongly with a later generation of artists, spearheaded by Delaunay. After 1914 she exhibited regularly at both the Paris Salon des Indpendants and the Beaux Arts, and by 1946 was included in shows that included artists like Chagall. Although her style changed over the decades, with Cubism and Surrealism strongly shaping certain periods, her work is always distinctly recognisable.
The Bird Catcher demonstrates Swanzys delicate, lightness of touch, where she overlays thin layers of pigment to create surfaces that have a glowing translucence. Never muddy, there is a fresh purity in her colours, even in the shadows. The sky, tree, cap, the clothesall reveal unexpected hues. The foreground moves through blue, to pink, to yellow and green. However, Swanzy lowers the register so that the result is softened, subtle and sophisticated.
Although academic drawing skill is evident in this painting, Swanzy stops it from taking over. There is a looseness in her brushstrokes which gives the painting a modern, almost casual feel. The composition reinforces this, with a feeling of immediacy youd find in a snapshot. As the figure of the bird catcher surges forward, one can sense the speed of his pursuit, and that of the bird that escapes his grasp. Light is focused on the pursuers face, emphasising his intense concentration on the task at hand. The painting has a luminosity, a rightness and a sense of harmony that is not easily achieved by a lesser artist.
Dr Frances Ruane HRHA
October 2024
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