Beschreibung:

Patrick Hennessy RHA (1915-1980) Mare and Foal Oil on canvas, 63 x 85cm (24¾ x 33½'') Signed Provenance: With Guildhall Galleries, label verso. Patrick Hennessy was born in Cork in August 1915 but moved to Scotland as a young child and spent many of his earlier years there. He received an academic training at Dundee College of Art and his ability won him a scholarship in 1938 that allowed him to travel Europe, further expanding his artistic talents. Before returning to Scotland, Hennessy spent some time in Paris and it was here that he developed his restrained surrealist style. By combining a traditional accuracy with a muted colour palette and eerie stillness, Hennessy was able to create a manner of painting quite different from other Irish artists at the time. His style allowed him to depict seemingly innocuous subjects - landscapes, still lives, portraits and animals - in a way that enabled him to convey a much deeper and complex message. With the outbreak of World War II, Hennessy left Scotland to return to Ireland. Despite settling in Dublin, Hennessy spent much time in Cork, where he based many of his equine and coastal studies. By 1940, Hennessy was exhibiting regularly at the Dublin Painters Society and, a year later, he had pieces accepted to the Royal Hibernian Academy, where he was made a member in 1949. In 1956, encouraged by Hennessy and other artists, David Hendriks opened his gallery on St. Stephens Green and this became a key exhibition platform for Hennessy. For the next twenty years, the Hendriks Gallery handled the majority of the artists output, acting as an important springboard into the Irish market. The Hendriks Gallery held Hennessys last exhibition in 1978, showcasing thirty-one paintings. Ill health meant that Hennessy rarely spent a full year in Ireland, preferring to winter in warmer climates. In 1968, Hennessy moved to Morocco on a permanent basis, however he continued to produce works for exhibition in Ireland and maintained his annual submission to the RHA right up to the year of his death. Patrick Hennessy RHA (1915-1980) Mare and Foal Oil on canvas, 63 x 85cm (24¾ x 33½'') Signed Provenance: With Guildhall Galleries, label verso. Patrick Hennessy was born in Cork in August 1915 but moved to Scotland as a young child and spent many of his earlier years there. He received an academic training at Dundee College of Art and his ability won him a scholarship in 1938 that allowed him to travel Europe, further expanding his artistic talents. Before returning to Scotland, Hennessy spent some time in Paris and it was here that he developed his restrained surrealist style. By combining a traditional accuracy with a muted colour palette and eerie stillness, Hennessy was able to create a manner of painting quite different from other Irish artists at the time. His style allowed him to depict seemingly innocuous subjects - landscapes, still lives, portraits and animals - in a way that enabled him to convey a much deeper and complex message. With the outbreak of World War II, Hennessy left Scotland to return to Ireland. Despite settling in Dublin, Hennessy spent much time in Cork, where he based many of his equine and coastal studies. By 1940, Hennessy was exhibiting regularly at the Dublin Painters Society and, a year later, he had pieces accepted to the Royal Hibernian Academy, where he was made a member in 1949. In 1956, encouraged by Hennessy and other artists, David Hendriks opened his gallery on St. Stephens Green and this became a key exhibition platform for Hennessy. For the next twenty years, the Hendriks Gallery handled the majority of the artists output, acting as an important springboard into the Irish market. The Hendriks Gallery held Hennessys last exhibition in 1978, showcasing thirty-one paintings. Ill health meant that Hennessy rarely spent a full year in Ireland, preferring to winter in warmer climates. In 1968, Hennessy moved to Morocco on a permanent basis, however he continued to produc