拍品 7
  • 7

JAMES HUMBERT CRAIG, R.H.A., R.U.A. | In County Mayo

估價
15,000 - 25,000 GBP
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描述

  • James Humbert Craig R.H.A. R.U.A.
  • In County Mayo
  • signed l.r.: JH CRAIG; also titled and indistinctly signed on the reverse
  • oil on canvas
  • 51 by 61cm., 20 by 24in.

來源

Dillon Antiques, Dublin

展覽

New Haven, Yale Center for British Art, America’s Eye: Irish Paintings from the Collection of Brian P. Burns, 25 September 1997 - 4 January 1998 

Condition

Original canvas. Some faint areas of craquelure in the mountains and sky near the centre of the composition, which appear stable. Overall the work appears in good condition with some strong areas of impasto. Under UV light there appears to be a small vertical line of retouching in the water near the centre of the lower edge, and another small spot of retouching in the foreground by the right side of the lower edge. Held in a dark red and ebony frame.
"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."

拍品資料及來源

In County Mayo is a classic work by one of the finest landscape painters in Ireland in the first half of the twentieth century. It offers an expansive scene, depicting a bog cutting in the foreground, two stacks of turf, and the blue dash of a lake in the middle distance. In the background rise the steep slopes of a mountain range. The sky is blue, as in nearly all of Craig’s paintings, but enlivened by clouds forming over the mountain. Much of the quality of Craig’s landscapes lies his ability to render accurately the subtle range of colour, of bog, water and mountain, as clouds scud overhead on a sunlit day. Born in Belfast in 1877, James Humbert Craig grew up at Bangor, Co. Down, in a house named ‘Craigwelyn’, on the Ballyholme Road. The eldest, and only boy, in a family of several children, he was taught painting and drawing from an early age by his mother Marie Sabine Metzenen (1854-1927), who came from Lausanne in Switzerland. After working for a time in his father Alexander’s tea importing business, Craig took up painting fulltime. Although he attended classes at the Belfast School of Art, he was largely self-taught, and specialised in depicting the landscapes of counties Donegal, Galway, Mayo, and particularly the Glens of Antrim, around Cushendun, where he had a house named Tornamona Cottage. In 1915 Craig began showing his work at the RHA, and a decade later was elected an associate member of the Academy: in 1928 he was elected a full member, and also that year participated in a group exhibition of Irish artists, at the Fine Art Society in London.

Over the years Craig was to exhibit regularly with the Fine Art Society. In 1930, on the foundation of the Royal Ulster Academy, he was elected a member, and that year also he was included in the prestigious exhibition of Irish art held in Brussels. His approach to landscape painting combined an Impressionist plein-air tradition with a solidly-grounded realism, not unlike that of Paul Henry, who was an early influence on his work. Craig spent some time in the United States—his work was shown at the Olympic Art Exhibition in Los Angeles in 1932—and he travelled also in Switzerland, France and Spain. He had little interest in Modernist innovations, and remained a solidly Realist painter. A memorial exhibition of his work was held at the Belfast Museum and Art Gallery in 1945, a year after his death. There is a fine collection of Craig’s paintings at Bangor Castle, in a museum maintained by Ards and North Down Borough Council.

Peter Murray