Louis le Brocquy, H.R.H.A.

Gimpel Fils, London

Dorothy Walker, Louis le Brocquy, Ward River Press, Dublin, 1981, p.88, fig. 58; 
Alistair Smith (intro.), Louis Le Brocquy, Paintings 1939-1996, 16th October 1996 - 16th February 1997, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin, exh. cat., illustrated p.13;
National Gallery of Ireland, Louis le Brocquy Portrait Heads, 4th November 2006 - 14th January 2007, exh. cat., illustrated p. 54. 

Original canvas. There are a few hairline cracks in the upper left quadrant towards the upper edge. Otherwise the work appears in good original condition with a rich, textured surface. Under ultarviolet light certain areas fluoresce but these are the hand of the artist. Held in a white box frame under glass ready to hang; unexamined out of frame. Please telephone the department on 0207 293 5575 if you have any questions regarding the present work.
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'One day while passing through a village in La Mancha in shimmering heat, I stopped spellbound before a small group of women and children standing against a whitewashed wall. Here the intensity of the sunlight had interposed its own revelation, absorbing these human figures into its brilliance, giving substance only to shadow. From that moment on I never perceived the human presence in quite the same way.'
(The Artist, Louis le Brocquy, Chronology of a life, events, studio output, artist's statement and critical commentary, compiled by Pierre le Brocquy, Artist's website: lebrocquy.com)

Woman in Sunlight relates most closely to this epiphanic encounter Le Brocquy describes above. It was to have a dramatic effect on his work, signifying what was to become his most inventive series of works: the 'White Period'. Le Brocquy passed through La Mancha in 1955 while embarking upon an extensive tour of Spain. The experience of the sunlight was transformational: 'All dull colour here is lost, irradiated into brilliance by a white sun...'

Le Brocquy came to realise the power of stripping away formal inessentials, as demonstrated in Woman in Sunlight, in which he gives added emphasis to shadows and suggestions. As such, the painting is an important transitional work in Le Brocquy's oeuvre. It signifies his departure from the sombre, monochomatic tones of his 'Grey Period', circa 1951-1954, and pre-empts his 'White Paintings' in which he exploits his formal concerns with light and shadow to their fullest, such as Woman, 1959 (Tate Collection, London).