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Moving into the latter half of the twentieth century, Gretta Bowen (1880-1981) is an interesting
case as she lived for almost the entire scope of this exhibition, yet only picked up a paintbrush
at the age of 70 and painted until the end of her long life. Her three sons Arthur, George and
Stanley from her late husband Matthew Campbell were all renowned artists but wary of trading
on their success, she went by her maiden name. She favoured using blocks of bright colour,
straight from the tube directly onto the canvas. Her richly coloured paintings have a mood of
bustling activity and movement and proved very popular both in Ireland and abroad in London,
New York and Washington. The Irish Times praised her as being ‘like Lowry in an Irish setting’
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as she painted familiar subjects with a joyful, naïve style unlike any other female artist practising
in Ireland at this time.
During the course of the century in question life changed dramatically for women. By the mid
20th century, women were an integral part of the paid workforce and it became more acceptable
for women to promote and sell their art. Individually they could achieve more with fewer barriers
in their way, while collectively, women occupied pivotal roles in the leading artistic institutions
of the day. They were crusaders for a fresh approach to Irish art, creating a strong impetus
towards the modern movement in 20th century Ireland, which would have been much weaker
without them.
As their male contemporaries concentrated on reviving and maintaining a strong nationalist art,
Irish women artists acted as a counter-balance, and pursued modern ideas and teachings in a
European setting, unrestricted by national boundaries. Their own interpretation of experiences
in Ireland were developed through the prism of a Continental, modernist practice of art, to
produce the distinctive results we witness and celebrate here.
These artists constitute a remarkable cross-section of women, individuals who were influential and
inspirational in many fields. Their collective spirit, tenacity and skill allowed them to overcome
any potential difficulties which arose from being women artists, producing work which stands
the test of time. Far from being confined by their gender, as Brian Fallon puts it, “they were, in
fact, Ireland’s emancipated generation”
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.
Claire Dalton May 2014
27
Finucane, P. and Connolly, M. Journeys through Line and Colour, p.10, University of Limerick (2010)
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Fallon, B.
