Adam's Important Irish Art September 26th 2018

13 Important Irish Art | 26th September 2018 4 BASIL BLACKSHAW HRHA RUA (1932-2016) Lurcher (1997) Oil on canvas, 51 x 41cm (20 x 16¼’’) Literature: ‘Blackshaw’ edited by Eamonn Mallie, Full page illustration Plate 126, Page 291. This work by Basil Blackshaw has all the power of a Paul Gauguin or a Roderic O Conor - the only difference being, it is better! I am declaring my hand. I consider this painting of 1997 to be one of Blackshaw’s masterpieces. It has got everything, the pow- er and the glory of an artist at his height - I suspect the figure portrayed here is Basil himself. This man adopts a similar stance to other figures who have appeared in several Blackshaw paintings down the years. In a work A Dog and Two Men (2001) Basil originally titled it The Vet, the Dog and the Humpy Hoor and I’m the Humpy Hoor. What we witness here, in this 1997 creation, is an owner and his dog moving in absolute harmony. They are like a happy couple lost in an ideal landscape. Interestingly Basil does not obsess with physical details. He is pursuing the ‘spirit’ of his subjects. This is a feature of Blackshaw’s work which developed around the late Seventies, early Eighties, partially influenced by a conversation between Basil and Sligo artist Patrick Collins who adjudged Basil’s work to be too forensic. “Go for the spirit of your subject” he advised. Basil took that advice seriously. This is a gem from Blackshaw. Eamonn Mallie, August 2018 € 5,000 - 7,000 Paintings from the Brian and Anne Friel Collection