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Hy Brasil
Hy Brasil

Hy Brasil

Artist (1911 - 1994)
Date1963
MediumOil on board
Dimensions76.2 x 91.5 cm
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineCollection & image © Hugh Lane Gallery. Donated by the Contemporary Irish Art Society, 1963. © The Estate of Patrick Collins.
Object number1210
DescriptionIn Irish mythology 'Hy Brazil' was a mythical island out in the Atlantic off the west of Ireland. It was a magical realm - neither sea nor land, yet both. According to legend, it was visible every seven years and was known as the Isle of the Living, the Isle of Truth, of Joy, of Fair Women, and of Apples. Other early Celtic legends also say that the island only appeared at sunset in the mists of the Atlantic.
In this painting, Collins captures the romantic essence of this mythical island. Using a frame within a frame effect, he provides a tantalising glimpse of a narrow band of rock indicated by thickly applied pigment, which seemingly floats in a delicate blue-grey mist in the distance. Collins spent his early years in the west of Ireland and had a deep and long-lasting affinity for the Irish landscape. He cited Paul Henry as one of the main influences on his career. Irish literature was also an inspiration in particular the works of W. B. Yeats, J M Synge and James Joyce.

Collins had very little formal art education and worked in the insurance business for over twenty years before devoting himself completely to art. (MC)

On View
Not on view
William Cosgrave
Sir John Lavery
1923
Michael Collins
Sir John Lavery
c.1935
View of Shelbourne Hotel
Patrick Joseph Tuohy
c. 1912
Hazel Lavery
Sir John Lavery
1906
The Blessing of the Colours
Sir John Lavery
1922
Myth Made Object (A/P)
Coilin Murray
1981
Summer, June 1965
Brian Bourke
1965
The Sleeping Princess: Briar-Rose Series
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones
c. 1872-1874
John Millington Synge
John Butler Yeats
c 1905/1907