Beschreibung:

Artist: Maurice Canning Wilks ARHA RUA (1911-1984) Title: Madonna of the West Signature: signed lower right and titled verso Medium: oil on canvas Size: 76½ x 61cm (30.1 x 24in) Framed Size: 92.5 x 77.5cm (36.4 x 30.5in) Provenance: Private Collection a#morebtn { color: #de1d01; } a#morebtn:hover { cursor: pointer;} Although Maurice Wilks is best-known for his depictions of landscapes and coastal scenery in counties Antrim, Donegal and Galway, this work demonstrates that he was equally proficient as a portraitist. Many of Wilks' paintings record traditional cottages, and ways of life, such as fishing with curra... Read more Maurice Canning Wilks Lot 36 - 'Madonna of the West' Estimate: €5,000 - €7,500 Although Maurice Wilks is best-known for his depictions of landscapes and coastal scenery in counties Antrim, Donegal and Galway, this work demonstrates that he was equally proficient as a portraitist. Many of Wilks' paintings record traditional cottages, and ways of life, such as fishing with currachs, or gathering turf. Madonna of the West is unusual in his oeuvre, in that it has a religious dimension, echoing the work of Seán Keating, Harry Kernoff and Maurice MacGonigal who also pursued the theme of a secular Madonna. The face of the woman in Wilks's portrait is impassive. Emerging from underneath the shawl, one hand holds the shawl close to her neck, framing her face. The background is mainly of a cloud-filled sky, with small details of hill and lake suggesting a West of Ireland setting. The son of a linen designer, Wilks was born in Belfast in 1911 and studied at the Belfast School of Art. First exhibiting at the newly formed Ulster Academy of Arts in 1933, he was elected an associate two years later. With the encouragement of his friend James Humbert Craig Wilks became a regular exhibitor at the Royal Ulster Academy, and at the Royal Hibernian Academy, where he exhibited between 1933 and 1984, showing a total of thirty-five paintings. He had several solo shows at the Victor Waddington Galleries in Dublin, as well as in Canada and the United States. He died in 1984, and is represented in several public collections, including the Ulster Museum and Ulster Folk and Transport Museum. Peter Murray, March 2022