Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) The Startled Bird (1961) Oil on canvas, 68.5 x 81.25cm (27 x 32'') Signed and dated 1961 Provenance: Acquired directly from the artist in 1961 by a friend (as it...

Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) The Startled Bird (1961) Oil on canvas, 68.5 x 81.25cm (27 x 32'') Signed and dated 1961 Provenance: Acquired directly from the artist in 1961 by a friend (as it was his daughter depicted in the woods); and thence by descent to the current owner. The location of the wood is the south side of Carrickgollogan, Co. Dublin, near the artist's home. Exhibited: RHA Annual Exhibition 1961, Dublin, Cat. No. 41 (NFS) Exposition de la Peinture Contemporaine Irlandaise, Monaco, 1962 Twelve Irish Painters-An Exhibition of Irish Modern Art, New York, 1963 Norah McGuinness Retrospective, Trinity College Dublin, 1968, Cat. No. 63 Norah McGuinness's work went through a great resurgence in the early 1960s when she produced some of her most accomplished paintings. In 1961 she had a very successful show at the Dawson Gallery. James White reviewing it in the Irish Times described it as 'undoubtedly her finest exhibition'. 1. The Startled Bird, exhibited that year at the RHA, can clearly be related to the works in this show. Its inclusion in international exhibitions of modern Irish art organised by the Arts Council indicate the regard in which it was held by the art establishment at the time. Inspired by her frequent sojourns in the countryside, the work evokes through its patterning of rich colours and stark forms, the physical sensation of woodland. The figure of the young girl and the blackbird in the foreground add a note of drama to the painting while celebrating the poetic aspects of nature. Both suggest the simplicity of rural life. McGuinness makes these familiar motifs contemporary through the strong flattened patterning of the forms which is ultimately derived from cubism, a style which she had learnt in Paris in the studio of André Lhote at the end of 1920s and which continued to resonate in her work into the 1960s. Cubism enabled her to simplify the subject and to create decorative and almost abstract responses to the subject. The subtle delineation of foliage, berries and branches and the use of strong blocks of colour are typical of the artist's unmistakable style. They reveal an acute awareness of the natural world, the product of a passionate interest in gardening and more significantly a long career spent developing a keen appreciation of landscape. She avoids any of the clichés of traditional touristic imagery in her representation of Ireland. This made McGuinness's work attractive to the Arts Council and to collectors in the 1960s. The Startled Bird is an excellent example of her late work at its most expressive. Dr. Roisin Kennedy 1. James White, Irish Times, 10 November 1961.

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