Patrick Joseph Tuohy

Born in Dublin in 1894 Tuohy showed early talent for drawing. He studied at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art where he was taught by Sir William Orpen, who placed an emphasis on drawing from the nude and accomplished draughtsmanship. The lessons learnt in Orpen's life drawing classes are evident in A Mayo Peasant Boy. In 1916 Tuohy went to teach in Spain, and there he studied the art in the Prado where he was particularly drawn to the work of Velazquez and Zurbaran. On his return to Ireland he established himself as a painter of portraits, landscapes and religious works. He was one of the principle portraitists in the early years of the Irish Free State and painted many of the leading political, literary and artistic figures of the time, including James Joyce. In return Joyce included Tuohy in Finnegan's Wake as "Ratatuohy". In 1927 disillusioned with his career in Ireland, he left for America. He helped to organise the first American exhibition of contemporary Irish Art in 1929 and the following year he died in New York at the age of thirty-six.