26
20
William Conor RUA, RHA (1884-1968)
!e Shepherd and his Flock
Crayon, 63.5 x 51cm (25 x 20”)
Provenance: One of a collection of works by William Conor, sold at
Waddington Auctioneers, Toronto, June 2001, Cat. No, 1710, where
purchased by the current owner. Another smaller work from this same
Canadian collection,
Dancing the Jig,
was sold in these rooms December
2012, Cat. No. 48, for '26,000, while another from this collection,
!e
Street Musician
sold for '15,000 in our sale 26th March, Lot 15
John Hewitt has written ‘In the art history of Ireland, William Conor
must be placed with Paul Henry and Jack B Yeats, as one of the &rst to
record the life of the people in painterly terms, without the trappings
of stage-Irishry. Few can have realised how representative he has been,
how broadly typical of our best moods and impulses.’ According to
Crookshank and Glin, ‘His early crayon drawings, with their very
personal technique, using wax to achieve an uneven texture, develop
from his early training as a lithographer and he achieves something of a
similar e)ect in his oils.’ !e composition, stance and treatment of the
&gure in
!e Shepherd and his Flock
are reminiscent of Jack B. Yeats’
Man
from Arranmore
1905 rendered in chalk and watercolour. In Yeats’ work
the man assumes an almost heroic stance and is depicted against the
mountain with the surrounding landscape indicated. Here, the treatment
of the &gure against the landscape is similar and even the shepherd’s
gaze and that of the &sherman follow a similar path. Conor’s masterful
use of crayon lends this work an almost aged photographic quality. !e
treatment of the &gure, delineation of his features, his expression and
even the detailed faces of the sheep and lamb, create a quintessential
Irish study of country life. !e subject is uncharacteristic of Conor who
generally made his name as, ‘the pioneer in taking his subjects from
town - rather than country - folk.’ ( John Hewitt). Hewitt also admires
Conor’s technical virtuosity; his vivid draughtsmanship, his adept use of
watercolour, his skilful portraiture in many styles, his few but original
essays in landscape.’ !is work may feature a scene from Co. Kerry.
Conor spent some time on the Blasket Islands and rural studies include
!e Flax Gatherers
,
Gathering Potatoes
and
Going to Mass, Co. Kerry.
Marianne O’Kane Boal
!&#,### - &$,###
