Lot 184 SARAH CECILIA HARRISON HRUA (1863 - 1941)
Title: Moonlight
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Signature: Unsigned
Provenance: The Artist's Family, by descent;
Gorry Gallery, Dublin;
Christie's, 'The Irish Sale', London 14 May 2004, Lot 17;
Private Collection
Framed
As rare and beautiful as a Frank O'Meara, this work is one of very few surviving landscapes by Sarah Cecilia Harrison. The first thing that draws the eye is the golden pathway, illuminated by the moon, which breaks through the clouds and adds a calm and peaceful atmosphere to the composition. The overall scene is dominated by earthy greens and hints of brown, along the pathway, with the large tree in the centre - left partially obscuring the view in the distance, only visible to the far left, where it leads the viewer's eye to what appears to be fields, emphasised by the pale tones of green, adding a sense of coolness and depth. Overall, it is a charming evocation of tranquility that attracts the viewer's eye very easily, turning a simple landscape into a deeply moving and encapsulating scene.
Today, she is recognised as an important portrait painter who depicted several significant figures, such as Sir Hugh Lane and Henry Joy McCracken, as well as her very-well executed self-portraits. There are very few landscapes by her in public collections, but one titled 'Sketch of a Boat with a Reddish Sail' in the Hugh Lane Gallery, acts as an important work that acts as an insight to her time in France. A notable link between Harrison and Frank O'Meara is Etaples, on the North West Coast of France. O'Meara spent the winter of 1877-88 there, and two years later, in 1890, Harrison painted in the artist's colony there, ultimately leading to another notable landscape 'On the road to Etaples', which was exhibited at the RHA in 1891. One of the finest French painters, Eugene Boudin, was also painting at the artist's colony there in 1890.
Sarah Cecilia Harrison was born in 1863 in Holywood, Co. Down. Her father was a prosperous landowner and Justice of Peace, while her mother came from a prominent political family, being the granddaughter of Robert James Tennent, a liberal MP for Belfast. At the age of 15, she enrolled in the Slade School of Art in London and studied for the next seven years under Alphonse Legros between 1878 and 1885. She also studied at Queen's College, London and received a silver medal for antique style painting. After studying, she travelled to France, Italy, Amsterdam and Belgium, exploring the Old Masters. When she returned, she moved to Dublin in 1889 and established herself as one of Ireland's foremost portrait painters. Both herself and her brother, Henry, became involved in politics. Henry was a strong supporter of Charles Stewart Parnell, and Sarah became the first woman to serve on Dublin City Council in 1912. When she initially arrived in Dublin, she was appaled by the poverty and squalor of the city's slums, and she embarked on a series of campaigns - for better housing, support for the unemployed and the establishment of allotments, which ultimately led her to stand for office. She also worked to promote women's rights. Onwards from 1889, Harrison exhibited 60 paintings at the RHA, as well as exhibiting with the RUA and Royal Academy. She was elected an Honorary member of the RUA in 1931, and ten years later, in 1941, she died in Drumcondra, Dublin. Her headstone in Mount Jerome Cemetery, Dublin, is inscribed 'Artist and Friend of the Poor'.
€3000 - 5000
Image: 60 x 45cm Framed: 82 x 67cm (approx.)
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