Artist: William Conor RHA RUA ROI (1881-1968) Title: The Heart's Blessing Signature: signed top left Medium: wax crayon on paper Size: 36 x 26.20cm (14.2 x 10.3in) Framed Size: 72 x 59.7cm (28.3 x 23.5in) Provenance: Collection of Cecil Maguire; Private Collection a#morebtn { color: #de1d01; } a#morebtn:hover { cursor: pointer;} William Conor's depictions of mothers and children, and of scenes of ordinary life in his native Belfast, are both an endearing, and an enduring, legacy of one of Ireland's best-loved artists of the twentieth century. In this drawing in oil crayon, a woman leans over, embracing a bright-eyed child d... Read more William Conor Lot 71 - 'The Heart's Blessing' Estimate: €3,000 - €5,000 William Conor's depictions of mothers and children, and of scenes of ordinary life in his native Belfast, are both an endearing, and an enduring, legacy of one of Ireland's best-loved artists of the twentieth century. In this drawing in oil crayon, a woman leans over, embracing a bright-eyed child dressed in a little pinafore. The young child is standing on a chair, and the woman's embrace is also supportive, with the child placing her small hand over that of the adult, in a gesture of trust. The title of the work, The Heart's Blessing, does not specify if this is a mother and child. It could well be a nanny or housemaid, looking after her young charge. Conor was interested in capturing a sense of community. He delighted in painting children, playing on streets, and in houses and churches, smiling, dancing and laughing. Dating probably from the 1930's, The Heart's Blessing depicts a tender moment in a child's life. The texture and quality of the crayon used in this drawing suggests it is a lithographic crayon, and indeed Conor, who was born in Belfast in 1881, initially trained as a lithographer and designer at the Belfast College of Art. During WWI, he received an important commission, to paint portraits of soldiers and others involved in the war effort. By 1920, he had moved to London, where his work was promoted by a fellow-Belfast artist, John Lavery In 1922, Conor was recommended by Lavery for another major commission, to record the ceremonial opening of Parliament in Northern Ireland, and over the following decades, he was asked to paint portraits of judges, politicians, aristocrats and army officers. However, today Conor is far better known for his depictions of ordinary working people in Belfast and its surroundings; shipbuilders, labourers, street musicians and washerwomen who struggled to maintain a livelihood, often in conditions of adversity. His paintings form a visual social history of the time, in town and country, with shoppers, itinerant workers trudging along the road, people gossiping and mothers and their children. Peter Murray, March 2022
Artist: William Conor RHA RUA ROI (1881-1968) Title: The Heart's Blessing Signature: signed top left Medium: wax crayon on paper Size: 36 x 26.20cm (14.2 x 10.3in) Framed Size: 72 x 59.7cm (28.3 x 23.5in) Provenance: Collection of Cecil Maguire; Private Collection a#morebtn { color: #de1d01; } a#morebtn:hover { cursor: pointer;} William Conor's depictions of mothers and children, and of scenes of ordinary life in his native Belfast, are both an endearing, and an enduring, legacy of one of Ireland's best-loved artists of the twentieth century. In this drawing in oil crayon, a woman leans over, embracing a bright-eyed child d... Read more William Conor Lot 71 - 'The Heart's Blessing' Estimate: €3,000 - €5,000 William Conor's depictions of mothers and children, and of scenes of ordinary life in his native Belfast, are both an endearing, and an enduring, legacy of one of Ireland's best-loved artists of the twentieth century. In this drawing in oil crayon, a woman leans over, embracing a bright-eyed child dressed in a little pinafore. The young child is standing on a chair, and the woman's embrace is also supportive, with the child placing her small hand over that of the adult, in a gesture of trust. The title of the work, The Heart's Blessing, does not specify if this is a mother and child. It could well be a nanny or housemaid, looking after her young charge. Conor was interested in capturing a sense of community. He delighted in painting children, playing on streets, and in houses and churches, smiling, dancing and laughing. Dating probably from the 1930's, The Heart's Blessing depicts a tender moment in a child's life. The texture and quality of the crayon used in this drawing suggests it is a lithographic crayon, and indeed Conor, who was born in Belfast in 1881, initially trained as a lithographer and designer at the Belfast College of Art. During WWI, he received an important commission, to paint portraits of soldiers and others involved in the war effort. By 1920, he had moved to London, where his work was promoted by a fellow-Belfast artist, John Lavery In 1922, Conor was recommended by Lavery for another major commission, to record the ceremonial opening of Parliament in Northern Ireland, and over the following decades, he was asked to paint portraits of judges, politicians, aristocrats and army officers. However, today Conor is far better known for his depictions of ordinary working people in Belfast and its surroundings; shipbuilders, labourers, street musicians and washerwomen who struggled to maintain a livelihood, often in conditions of adversity. His paintings form a visual social history of the time, in town and country, with shoppers, itinerant workers trudging along the road, people gossiping and mothers and their children. Peter Murray, March 2022
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
