Conradesque
Artist
Seán Keating
(1889 - 1977)
MediumOil on panel
Dimensions119.5 x 119.5 cm
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineCollection & image © Hugh Lane Gallery.
Donated by Sir Alec Martin, 1934.
© The Estate of Seán Keating.
Object number702
DescriptionConradesque most probably refers to Joseph Conrad author of Lord Jim and The Shadow Line and whose novella Heart of Darkness was set in the Congo. Keating often used his own likeness and those of his family and friends in his paintings. Men of the West 1915 in this Gallery's collection is one such example. In Conradesque Keating is depicted striking a pose in an interior whose variety of surfaces reveals the artist's painterly skill in portraying fabric and textures. The three figures in this painting each contribute to the intriguing dynamic of the painting and each is wearing distinctive clothes. The seated woman is the artist's wife May who, in characteristic fashion, is shown with her head turned to one side, thus avoiding looking directly at the viewer or at the other figures. The figure of the young person on the right of the painting and looking steadily at Keating is as yet unidentified. Keating was praised by The Studio magazine for the strength and decorative nature of his work. Here the artist is shown against a richly patterned wallpaper of peacocks and exotic oriental motifs. The painting hanging in the background is his own work Dun Aengus: Fisherfolk on a Galway Quay c. 1925 which is here shown in reverse. (JO'D)On View
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