Adam's IMPORTANT IRISH ART 31 MAY 2023

48 33 COLIN MIDDLETON MBE RHA RUA (1910-1983) Landscape with Houses, (c.1953) Oil on canvas, 27.9 x 33cm (11 x 13”) Signed € 6,000 - 8,000 Middleton’s work of this period, in the early to mid- 1950s is dominated by landscapes paint- ed in broad and expressive brushstrokes. Moving into the 1960s his work would become more linear, developing an abstracted architectural language. This work employs the loose and free application of paint, as he works quickly across the canvas. Middleton uses the paint, thickly applied, to enhance the surface of the painting and bringing it to life. There is a clear sense of atmosphere and movement in the landscape. Looking at the work, we feel as if we are standing outside on clear spring day looking down over the houses below and we can almost imagine a gust of wind blowing through the leaves of the trees. The bright and open landscape, with the green foliage on either side of the foreground opens up to reveal a wonderful yellow road leading us to the houses in the distance. The houses themselves are more regulated in form, as white boxes with grey slate roofs, while the landscape surrounding them is full of energy and colour. There is an intensity to the landscape paintings of this period, filled with vibrancy and a celebration of the environment around him. Niamh Corcoran, April 2023