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44 PATRICK HENNESSY RHA (1915-1980)Still Life with Lemons and Pink Fabric
Oil on board, 50.5 x 40.8cm (20 x 16”)
Signed
Provenance: Thought to have been acquired directly from the artist in the 1950s.
This simple still life is an arrangement of a length of fabric hanging from the back of a chair with two lemons
placed on the seat of the chair. Unusually, Hennessy chose a printed cloth. His usual choice was for heavy
textured damasks and brocades. One could surmise this was to show his skill at rendering the textures and
designs on canvas. But here in this painting the emphasis is on the folds, tucks and gathers in the draped pink
cloth. The yellow of the lemons resting on the cloth is a stark contrast to the pink.
Patrick Hennessy never tired of painting still lives. Every exhibition had its quota and they were commercially
successful. His admiration for the 17th Century Dutch members of that genre, and Chardin and Vermeer,
painters of quiet mood and emotion, fuelled his desire to emulate them. This was paramount to his success.
His clients wanted simple decorative still lives, not broody contentious subject matter. Hennessy fulfilled this
need perfectly.
Kevin A. Rutledge November, 2016
€ 4,000 - 6,000