Crow

Artist Sean Shanahan (b. 1960)

Date2004

MediumOil on medium density fibreboard

Dimensions240 x 210 x 5 cm

ClassificationsPaintings

Credit LineCollection & image © Hugh Lane Gallery. Donated by Ann Reihill, 2005. © Sean Shanahan.

Object number1974

DescriptionSean Shanahan's rich, geometric planes of colour are tangible manifestations of the empirical world and his is a singular work, borne out of the concerns of painting today. Following on his early paintings on wood, in the early 90's he began to work on steel, where the planes of colour extend to cover the entire surface held in check by their horizontal and vertical format. In certain works, the smooth picture plane is scored revealing the steel support underneath, earthing the work and nailing the colour to the surface. He is currently working on mdf a more weighty material. The emphasis of the colour surface has shifted again. The colours no longer intersect or cohabit, the surface is now host to just one colour. The sculptural like supports which hang up to 5cm proud of the wall emphasis the material existence of the colour . This corporality of colour is inherently performative in that it is realised in one hit and once the work is negotiated the colour plane takes on another dimension. Crow is one of the of the artist's most recent paintings. One painting in two parts the dimensions of which are on a more human scale, once experienced the painting becomes mesmeric, the strange intoxicating colour contained by slender margins, the chamfered edges and the narrow physical divide echoing back to the scoring in earlier work is a splendid example of where the mass of the object equals the experience expressed. (BD)

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