ADAM'S IMPORTANT IRISH ART 24th September 2025

114 88 SEAN MCSWEENEY (1935-2018) Grey House, Lugglass (1968) Oil on canvas, 101.5 x 141.5cm (40 x 56”) Signed, inscribed and dated 1968 verso Provenance: Four Arts Council labels verso; with The Dawson Gallery, Dublin label verso Exhibited: Dublin, Joint Exhibition with Arts Councils of N. Ireland, Scotland & Wales, organised by An Chomhairle Ealaíon/ Arts Council of Ireland; Grange Con, Co. Wicklow, Grange Con House, Aspects of Landscape by Irish Artists exhibition organised by An Chomhairle Ealaíon/Arts Council of Ireland (label verso); An Chomhairle Ealaíon/Arts Council of Ireland, Catalogue No. 16 (label verso); Wexford, Contemporary Irish Painting , Wexford Festival, 1969, Catalogue No. 22 (label ver- so), An Chomhairle Ealaíon/Arts Council of Ireland € 8,000 - 12,000 Known for his deep connection to the Irish landscape, McSweeney translates the rural experience into a visual language that hovers between the representational and the poetic. This large-scale oil painting is no exception. Dominated by expressive fields of green, the work evokes the lush, elemental terrain of County Wicklow, where the townland of Lugglass nestles beneath the mountains. At the heart of the composition, the eponymous grey house emerges—a solitary, angular form that anchors the scene amidst undulating sweeps of verdant colour. It is not rendered with photographic precision but rather suggest- ed through minimal lines and tonal contrasts. Its quiet pres- ence conveys both shelter and isolation, a familiar motif in McSweeney’s oeuvre, where human habitation is dwarfed by the enduring force of nature. The painter’s brushwork is lyrical and fluid, building rhyth- mic layers that suggest bog, field, and cloud. His palette— dominated by a range of greens from olive to viridian, punctuated by yellows and blacks—demonstrates a master- ful control of tone and mood. The abstract treatment does not obscure the emotional resonance of the work; instead, it invites the viewer to engage with the landscape not just as a physical place, but as an atmosphere—imbued with memory, weather, and time. Grey House, Lugglass exemplifies McSweeney’s lifelong dialogue with the Irish landscape, particularly his ability to distil its essence into something both intimate and universal. The painting stands as a testament to his vision: a deeply rooted, intuitive response to land and light that transcends the boundaries of traditional landscape paint- ing.