14
note of drama to the painting while celebrating the poetic
aspects of nature. Both suggest the simplicity of rural life.
McGuinness makes these familiar motifs contemporary
through the strong %attened patterning of the forms which
is ultimately derived from cubism, a style which she had
learnt in Paris in the studio of André Lhote at the end of
1920s and which continued to resonate in her work into
the 1960s. Cubism enabled her to simplify the subject
and to create decorative and almost abstract responses to
the subject. !e subtle delineation of foliage, berries and
branches and the use of strong blocks of colour are typical
of the artist’s unmistakable style. !ey reveal an acute
awareness of the natural world, the product of a passionate
interest in gardening and more signi&cantly a long career
spent developing a keen appreciation of landscape. She
avoids any of the clichés of traditional touristic imagery
in her representation of Ireland. !is made McGuinness’s
work attractive to the Arts Council and to collectors in the
1960s.
!e Startled Bird
is an excellent example of her late
work at its most expressive.
Dr. Roisin Kennedy
1. James White, Irish Times, 10 November 1961.
!'#,### - "#,###
8
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980)
!e Startled Bird (1961)
Oil on canvas, 68.5 x 81.25cm (27 x 32”)
Signed and Dated 1961
Provenance: Acquired directly from the artist in 1961 by
a friend; as it was his daughter depicted in the woods, and
thence by descent to the current owner.!e location of the
wood is the south side of Carrickgollogan near the artists
home.
Exhibited: RHA Annual Exhibition 1961, Dublin, Cat.
No. 41 (NFS),
Exposition de la Peinture Contemporaine
Irlandaise, Monaco, 1962,
Twelve Irish Painters-An Exhibition of Irish
Modern Art, New York, 1963,
Norah McGuinness Retrospective, Trinity
College Dublin, 1968, Cat. No. 63
Norah McGuinness’s work went through a great resurgence
in the early 1960s when she produced some of her most
accomplished paintings. In 1961 she had a very successful
show at the Dawson Gallery. James White reviewing it
in the Irish Times described it as ‘undoubtedly her &nest
exhibition’.
1
!e Startled Bird,
exhibited that year at the
RHA, can clearly be related to the works in this show. Its
inclusion in international exhibitions of modern Irish art
organised by the Arts Council indicate the regard in which
it was held by the art establishment at the time.
Inspired by her frequent sojourns in the countryside, the
work evokes through its patterning of rich colours and
stark forms, the physical sensation of woodland.!e &gure
of the young girl and the blackbird in the foreground add a
