Beschreibung:

Artist: Hughie O'Donoghue (b.1953) Title: Madusa: Hold (2005/06) Signature: signed lower right Medium: oil on canvas Size: 105½ x 156½cm (41.5 x 61.6in) Framed Size: 105.5 x 156.5cm (41.5 x 61.6in) Provenance: Purdy Hicks Gallery, London (label verso) where it was purchased by the present owner a#morebtn { color: #de1d01; } a#morebtn:hover { cursor: pointer;} Hughie O'Donoghue's series of Medusa paintings were originally made for his major exhibition The Deep, the main show in the 2006 Galway Arts Festival. The title refers to Géricault's iconic painting, the Raft of the Medusa, in The Louvre. The Medusa was a French naval frigate that ran aground in the... Read more Hughie O'Donoghue's series of Medusa paintings were originally made for his major exhibition The Deep, the main show in the 2006 Galway Arts Festival. The title refers to Géricault's iconic painting, the Raft of the Medusa, in The Louvre. The Medusa was a French naval frigate that ran aground in the Mediterranean in 1816. The majority of the crew was set adrift on an improvised raft and most perished. The tragedy became a national scandal. O'Donoghue, fascinated by the experiences of ordinary people caught up historical events, has explored several instances of costly maritime disasters in the midst of conflict in both world wars, uses the Medusa as a symbol of such disasters. His model for the vessel is one he has used on several occasions, the wreck of the Plassy on Inis Oirr. It ran aground on a reef to the east of the island in the spring of 1960 in stormy seas. Fortunately, islanders helped the crew to safety and all survived. Just a couple of years later, the young O'Donoghue was taken by his father to see the wreck. It made an indelible impression on him: a vast monster from the deep. He pointed out that Gericault's gigantic painting was once on view in Dublin when the artist, disappointed at the lack of response in France, toured it to London, Edinburgh and Dublin, displaying it in a specially designed tent. Aidan Dunne, March 2020