Sean Keating, P.R.H.A.

Private collection

Possibly Dublin, Hall Gallery, 1921;
Possibly Dublin, Aonach Tailteann, 1924

Original canvas. The texture of the canvas is visible in certain areas. There are three very minor specks of staining, along the right edge and in the upper left quadrant, only visible upon very close inspection. There is an old line of retouching to a stretcher bar mark along the left edge, which has slightly discoloured. Otherwise the paint surface is stable and in good overall condition. Under ultraviolet light, there appear to be several spots of retouching, including two spots to the bottom of his coat, a small spot to his elbow, then to the aforementioned stretcher bar mark in the upper left quadrant, some spots to the background in the upper left quadrant, a spot to his left eyebrow and some scattered spots in the upper right quadrant. Held in a plaster gilt frame.
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A painting of a nude has been executed on the reverse.

Painted in Dublin between 1916 and 1919, the present work depicts Keating in a bear skin coat, which was either borrowed from the National Museum of Ireland, or was brought back from Russia by his brother Claude, who was at sea with the British army during this period. In a 1916 work entitled The Bear Skin, Keating depicted his sister Mary Frances wearing the same coat.

The present work was painted upon completion of Keating's training under Sir William Orpen, and is both a powerful revelation of the artist's particular agenda, and a clear translation of his mentor's teaching into a personal manner. Keating first became acquainted with Orpen while studying at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art in 1911. He was both an assistant and model in Orpen's London studio in 1915, and when he had to return to Ireland from London in 1916, Keating tried to persuade Orpen to accompany him. Commenting on their relationship, Keating stated that 'My life began on the day [Orpen] looked over my shoulder in the Life Class in the Dublin School of Art at my drawing and said - or rather growled - in his staccato, "That's good! go on- go on."' (Quoted in Bruce Arnold, Orpen: Mirror to an Age, Jonathan Cape, London, 1981, p.161)

Executed in the manner of Orpen's own romantic and monumental self portraits, Keating's work is evidence of the ongoing creative exchange between the artists. In particular, the careful staging and theatricality, the placement of a half length figure against a simple coloured backdrop, the dramatic lighting which accentuates the angularity of the facial features, the confidently fluid brush strokes, and Keating's bold stance are all reminiscent of Orpen's mode. Orpen considered portraiture an opportunity to demonstrate technical prowess. In his Self-Portrait of 1912 (sold Sotheby's, 7 May 2008, lot 157), Orpen revels in the textures of the various textiles, his light billowing scarf contrasting beautifully with the rich supple materiality of his coat. The confident draughtsmanship and carefully contrived composition enhance the painter's formidable presence. Similarly, Keating's work is a self-conscious demonstration of his painterly abilities. His impressive coat, with full fur cuffs and collar, becomes a display of the various textures Keating can confidently execute in paint, and his right hand which handles the red tassel of the jacket draws further attention to the elaborate and skilfully rendered garb. At the time the painting was completed, Keating was working towards both his first one-man exhibition and towards membership of the RHA. Consequently, he was amassing a group of pictures that would showcase his technical skills, and the present work is an excellent example from this group.

Self-Portrait in a Bear Skin was possibly included in Keating's exhibition at the Hall Gallery Dublin in 1921, as well as at the Aonach Tailteann in 1924, under the dramatic title Ligimte a Stoc, or I Declare Leadership.  To both Keating and Orpen, self-portraiture was a vehicle for the adoption of alternative personas. They were particularly drawn to the characters of the West of Ireland, and here, in Keating's almost haughty stoicism, one sees a subtle allusion to this idealized spirit. Indeed, the outfit and pose Keating adopts in the present work is closely related to one of his later paintings, The Aran Fisherman with his Wife (1930, Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane), which is a celebration of the traditional virtues of Irish life and depicts an Aran fisherman in a fur lined outfit standing protectively alongside his seated spouse, his daily catch proudly roped to the oar in his hand.

Keating worked as a summer school teacher at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art and he may have painted the nude which has been executed on the reverse of the canvas as a demonstration for his students (fig. 1). The exhibition and sale of nudes was at the time relatively rare, and owing to Keating's minimal finances and the general lack of available materials at the school due to the war, the nude was likely turned around and the more economically viable self-portrait was executed on the front. Interestingly, Keating was given the award for 'the best painting of the nude figure from life' in the school of art in 1914. The painting is currently untraced, and while there is no definitive link between the award and the current work, what is clear is Keating's ongoing interest in the nude, which is a much lesser known part of his oeuvre.

We are grateful to Éimear O'Connor for her kind assistance with the cataloguing of this lot.