Gerard Dillon, R.H.A., R.U.A.

Waddington Galleries, Montreal

The colours are slightly warmer than the illustration suggests. The board is sound and is slightly bowed in the centre. There is a small line of surface craquelure across the upper left corner with a small speck of paint loss, visible in the catalogue illustration. There is some surface dirt and the varnish has slightly discoloured otherwise in excellent original condition. Under ultraviolet light, there appear to be no signs of retouching. Held in a painted and gilt frame with canvas inset.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

'My numerous stays in Connemara have always been heaven...'
(Dillon, 'Connemara is Ireland to me', quoted in James White, Gerard Dillon, An Illustrated Biography, Dublin 1994, p.72).

Dillon first visited Connemara in 1939 on a cycling holiday with his friend and fellow aspiring artist, Ernie Atkin.  He was immediately impressed by the rugged elements of the West of Ireland landscape and the dramatic hills and loughs in contrast to the white washed cottages. In comparison to the urban life Dillon had grown up with in Belfast, he was also astounded by the apparent simplicity of the lives led by the Connemara farmers, villagers and fishermen. The people and landscapes of Connemara came to represent his notion of Ireland in its most idealised form and his enthusiasm for the place spread to painting the walls of the family house in Lower Clonard Street, Belfast, totally white in homage to the white-washed Connemara cottages.

In the present work, Dillon focuses on the distinctive interior of one of these traditional white-washed cottages that is vibrantly coloured blue in contrast to its simple exterior. As is evident from the attention to detail in the present work, Dillon was not only inspired by the dramatic combination of mountains, loughs and cottages, but by the everyday ordinary objects to be found inside each cottage. The flattened perspective of the table emphasizes the eclectic array of objects that caught Dillon's eye; from the plate of soda bread at the back of the table, to the cards, fountain pen and ink pot in the centre, the tools in the foreground, as well as the painting in the upper right corner depicting a Madonna and Child, the objects encapsulate the way of life and livelihood of the Connemara people. Two of his friends sit at the table clothed in the traditional dress of the West; the man in his characteristic collarless shirt, waistcoast and tam o'shanter.

The documentary nature of his Connemara interiors are a particular feature of Dillon's work from the period and the present work, together with Self Portrait in Roundstone (fig.1, sold in these rooms, 9 May 2007, lot 93) and Connelly's Bar, Roundstone (fig.2, Arts Council of Northern Ireland) are prophetic of his later larger scale and more well known interiors such as Self Contained Flat (Coll. Arts Council of Northern Ireland) executed in Abbey Road, London.