Sean Keating, P.R.H.A.

J.W. Freeman, Leixlip, Kildare;
Pyms Gallery, London

Dublin, Oireachtas Exhibition, 1920;
London, Pyms Gallery, Celtic Splendour, 24 April - 15 May 1985, cat. no.27.

STRUCTURE The canvas has been relined. There is a faint craquelure pattern across the surface and a few small isolated spots of staining. The work may benefit from a light clean otherwise it appears in good overall condition. ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT UV light reveals an opaque varnish which makes the work difficult to interpret conclusively. There appear to be a few minor flecks to the artist's right cheek, about his right should and to his left hand. There are a few further flecks to the background of the composition. FRAME Held in gilt composite frame.
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Having completed his training at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art in 1914, Seán Keating went to London to work as a studio assistant to his former mentor, William Orpen, the following year. He returned to Dublin in late 1915 or early 1916 and hoped to find full-time work as an art teacher. But despite several portrait commissions, he did not get teaching work and the following couple years proved financially difficult. The situation got so bad that he even considered emigrating. However, four major events occurred in 1919 that were to be life-changing for the artist: He got married in July that year. Secondly, he received two major commissions. The first was from Thomas Bodkin for a painting titled Homage to Sir Hugh Lane of 1919 which was bequeathed by the patron to the Municipal Gallery (now The Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane). The second commission, also possibly facilitated by Bodkin, was for a set of fourteen paintings illustrating the Passion of Christ, otherwise known as the Stations of the Cross for Clongowes Wood College in County Kildare. They were installed between 1919 and 1922. Lastly, and most significantly, he was appointed as a part-time teacher at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art.

By the time that Keating exhibited this colourful and distinctive self-portrait at the Oireachtas Exhibition in 1920, he had a lot to feel ‘at ease’ about. Life had settled down and although he did not know it then, the following year he was to meet the barrister, Albert Woods, which in turn led to a situation that allowed the artist to paint some of his most well-known political works, such as Portrait of Seán Moylan of 1921 and Men of the South of 1921-22. Thus, Fear Sorrdha (Man at Ease) is an important self-portrait; it shows the artist, full of hope at more-or-less the beginning of his long career. His rather imperious stance suggests a great degree of self-confidence, as if he felt at that point that his life was good, and nothing was going to stop him doing whatever it was that he wanted to do. Yet, the slight furrow in his brow suggests that he may have had a few qualms about his future. On a lighter note, Keating’s new wife, May, had been raised in Spain, which might well-explain the artist’s colourful attire; his costume appears to be an amalgamation of typical Aran Island-type clothing, but with a Spanish-looking twist. William Orpen taught his students to work every day, and it is for this reason that Keating undertook so many self-portraits. Fear Sorrdha (Man at Ease) is an extraordinary example among the artist’s self-portraits, and as far as can be ascertained, it has not been seen in public since the Oireachtas Exhibition in 1920.

We are grateful to Dr Éimear O’Connor for writing the catalogue note for this picture which will be included in her forthcoming monograph on the artist Seán Keating: Art, Politics and Building the Nation (Irish Academic Press).