Seán Keating
Encyclopedia
Seán Keating was an Irish
romantic-realist painter
who painted some iconic images of the Irish War of Independence
and of the early industrialization of Ireland. He spent part of each year on the Aran Islands
and his many portraits of island people depicted them as rugged heroic figures.
Seán Keating studied drawing at the Limerick Technical School before a scholarship arranged by William Orpen
allowed him to go at the age of twenty to study at the Metropolitan School of Art in Dublin. Over the next few years he spent time on the Aran Islands and then in London, at Orpen's studio. In 1916 he returned to Ireland where he documented the war of independence and the subsequent civil war. Examples include Men of the South (1921) which shows a group of IRA
men ready to ambush a military vehicle and An Allegory (c. 1922) which uses an unlikely clustering of figures to represent the fractures in the nascent Irish state.
He was elected to the Royal Hibernian Academy
in 1923. One of the cardinal achievements of the Irish Free State
in the latter half of the 1920s was the building, in partnership with Siemens AG
, of a hydro-electric power generator at Ardnacrusha
, near Limerick. Keating produced a considerable number of paintings related to this scheme, as with all his paintings, these are realistic in style, some are literal and some are allegorical compositions seeking to communicate his view of the construction work as an heroic, even mythological, act.
In 1939 he was commissioned to paint a mural for the Irish pavilion at the New York World's Fair
. He was President of the Royal Hibernian Academy from 1949 to 1962 and showed at the annual exhibition for 61 years from 1914. Although Keating was an intellectual painter in the sense that he consciously set out to explore the visual identity of the Irish nation, and his paintings show a very idealized realism; he did have conservative views on art and exerted an influence against modern art in Ireland. Keating feared that the modern movement would bring back a decline in artistic standards. Throughout his career he exhibited nearly 300 works at the RHA, and also showed at the Oireachtas
.
He died on 21 December 1977 at the Adelaide Hospital
and was buried at Cruagh Cemetery, Rathfarnham
. The 1978 RHA Exhibition featured a small memorial collection of his work.
Posthumous exhibitions of his work were mounted by The Grafton Gallery, Dublin (1986) and the Electricity Supply Board (1987). Sean Keating - The Pilgrim Soul, a documentary presented and written by his son Justin Keating
, aired on RTE
in 1996.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
romantic-realist painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
who painted some iconic images of the Irish War of Independence
Irish War of Independence
The Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed...
and of the early industrialization of Ireland. He spent part of each year on the Aran Islands
Aran Islands
The Aran Islands or The Arans are a group of three islands located at the mouth of Galway Bay, on the west coast of Ireland. They constitute the barony of Aran in County Galway, Ireland...
and his many portraits of island people depicted them as rugged heroic figures.
William Orpen
Major Sir William Newenham Montague Orpen, KBE, RA, RHA was an Irish portrait painter, who worked mainly in London...
allowed him to go at the age of twenty to study at the Metropolitan School of Art in Dublin. Over the next few years he spent time on the Aran Islands and then in London, at Orpen's studio. In 1916 he returned to Ireland where he documented the war of independence and the subsequent civil war. Examples include Men of the South (1921) which shows a group of IRA
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
men ready to ambush a military vehicle and An Allegory (c. 1922) which uses an unlikely clustering of figures to represent the fractures in the nascent Irish state.
Royal Hibernian Academy
The Royal Hibernian Academy is an artist-based and artist-oriented institution in Ireland, founded in Dublin in 1823.-History:The RHA was founded as the result of 30 Irish artists petitioning the government for a charter of incorporation...
in 1923. One of the cardinal achievements of the Irish Free State
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
in the latter half of the 1920s was the building, in partnership with Siemens AG
Siemens AG
Siemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Munich, Germany. It is the largest Europe-based electronics and electrical engineering company....
, of a hydro-electric power generator at Ardnacrusha
Ardnacrusha (village)
Ardnacrusha is a village in County Clare, Munster, Ireland located on the northern bank of the Shannon River. The name derives from the phrase Ard na Croise meaning "the height of the cross", due to a large cross marker placed there in 1111 A.D...
, near Limerick. Keating produced a considerable number of paintings related to this scheme, as with all his paintings, these are realistic in style, some are literal and some are allegorical compositions seeking to communicate his view of the construction work as an heroic, even mythological, act.
In 1939 he was commissioned to paint a mural for the Irish pavilion at the New York World's Fair
1939 New York World's Fair
The 1939–40 New York World's Fair, which covered the of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park , was the second largest American world's fair of all time, exceeded only by St. Louis's Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904. Many countries around the world participated in it, and over 44 million people...
. He was President of the Royal Hibernian Academy from 1949 to 1962 and showed at the annual exhibition for 61 years from 1914. Although Keating was an intellectual painter in the sense that he consciously set out to explore the visual identity of the Irish nation, and his paintings show a very idealized realism; he did have conservative views on art and exerted an influence against modern art in Ireland. Keating feared that the modern movement would bring back a decline in artistic standards. Throughout his career he exhibited nearly 300 works at the RHA, and also showed at the Oireachtas
Oireachtas
The Oireachtas , sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the "national parliament" or legislature of Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of:*The President of Ireland*The two Houses of the Oireachtas :**Dáil Éireann...
.
He died on 21 December 1977 at the Adelaide Hospital
Adelaide Hospital
The Adelaide Hospital was a general and teaching hospital in Dublin, Ireland until it became part of the new Tallaght Hospital in 1998.-History:...
and was buried at Cruagh Cemetery, Rathfarnham
Rathfarnham
Rathfarnham or Rathfarnam is a Southside suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It is south of Terenure, east of Templeogue, and is in the postal districts of Dublin 14 and 16. It is within the administrative areas of both Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown and South Dublin County Councils.The area of Rathfarnham...
. The 1978 RHA Exhibition featured a small memorial collection of his work.
Posthumous exhibitions of his work were mounted by The Grafton Gallery, Dublin (1986) and the Electricity Supply Board (1987). Sean Keating - The Pilgrim Soul, a documentary presented and written by his son Justin Keating
Justin Keating
Justin Keating was an Irish Labour Party politician, broadcaster, journalist, lecturer and veterinary surgeon. In later life he was President of the Humanist Association of Ireland....
, aired on RTE
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
in 1996.
Work in collections
- The Electrical Supply Board in Ireland.
- The National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, including
- An Allegory (c.1922)
- Crawford Municipal Art GalleryCrawford Municipal Art GalleryThe Crawford Municipal Art Gallery is a public art gallery in the city of Cork, Ireland.Since 1979 the Gallery has been located in the centre of Cork in what used to be the Cork Customs House, built in 1724...
, Cork, including - Trinity College Dublin including
- Limerick City Gallery of Art, LimerickLimerickLimerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...
, including- Kelp Burners
- Centre William RappardCentre William RappardThe Centre William Rappard at Rue de Lausanne 154, Geneva, Switzerland, was built between 1923 and 1926 to house the International Labour Office . It was the first building in Geneva designed to house an international organization...
- 'mural on labour' (1961)