William Conor RUA RHA (1881-1968)
At the Feis
Oil on linen laid down on board, 49 x 59cm (19¼ x 23¼'')
Signed, inscribed on artist's label verso

 

William Conor, who was born in Belfast...

William Conor RUA RHA (1881-1968)
At the Feis
Oil on linen laid down on board, 49 x 59cm (19¼ x 23¼'')
Signed, inscribed on artist's label verso

 

William Conor, who was born in Belfast in 1881, is certainly best known for his scenes of everyday life, particularly but not exclusively in his native city. He studied at the Belfast College of Art and by 1904 he was working on poster design as a lithographer. This training appears to have had a sustained impact on his work throughout his career, producing copious paintings and drawings which recorded the lives and activities of the working people of Belfast.

 

His occasional forays into the hinterlands and a little further afield also produced some rural scenes, and his standing in Belfast society, particularly after receiving a commission to paint King George V and Queen Mary at Stormont, ensured that he was the popular painter of portraits of luminaries, both political and business in the city.

 

Conor began exhibiting at Dublin's Royal Hibernian Academy Annual Exhibitions from 1918 and a review of the titles provides a snap-shot of this artist's favourite subjects - 'Mill-workers', 'The Street Singers', 'The Knife Grinder', 'The Jaunting Car', 'The Singing Class' and such like.

 

The present work, 'At the Feis' is a classic Conor and displays his interest in the world of traditional music and dancing. The 'Feis' is a traditional Irish arts and culture festival with similar festivals also taking place in Scotland. In Ireland the Feis is more associated with Irish dancing competitions. Here the artist has managed to capture the atmosphere of the competition with the row of musicians providing a backdrop to the young girl in the full throes of her dance.

 

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