Adam's The Antoinette and Patrick J.Murphy Collection 23rd October 2019

113 The Antoinette & Patrick J. Murphy Collection | 23rd October2019 100 MARY SWANZY HRHA (1882-1978) The Italian Girl Oil on board, 30 x 25cm (11.8 x 9.8“) Signed Provenance: The artist’s studio. € 5,000 - 7,000 Mary Swanzy intended to settle in Florence following the death of her father in 1913 however, she was forced to return to Dublin with the out- break of war. This painting underlines her constant faith in the oldmasters, the great men as she called them. The Italian Girl is reminiscent of Vermeer’s Girl with the Pearl Earring 1665 while also sharing ground with Swanzy’s contemporary Modigliani (1814-1920). Building on the characteristics typical of Mannerist paintings that elongated figures for emotional effect Swanzy relies on her drawing, outlining the features in her assured line while the modeling of the figure is loose and sketchy in style. The heavier greens at the outer edges of the composition create a dramatic focus for the figure whose gaze is focused away from the viewer not typical of Swanzy’s portraits. She creates a strong presence with the figure filling the frame using the headdress to balance the composi- tion with its hotspots of pure cadmium yellow generating lights in a very traditional manner. As in all genres of painting Swanzy undertakes, she exacts a personal exploration of style rather than being influenced by any single oeuvre. Liz Cullinane, September 2019