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Frank McKelvey RHA RUA (1895-1974)
Tramore Bay, Near Rosbeg, Co. Donegal
Oil on canvas, 50 x 67cm (19¾ x 26¼")
Signed
Provenance: title inscribed on John Magee, Belfast Gallery label
Frank McKelvey RHA RUA (1895-1974)
Tramore Bay, Near Rosbeg, Co. Donegal
Oil on canvas, 50 x 67cm (19¾ x 26¼")
Signed
Provenance: title inscribed on John Magee, Belfast Gallery label
Belfast born, Frank McKelvey (1895-1974) was the son of William McKelvey, a painter and decorator. McKelvey began work as a poster designer before commencing at the Belfast School of Art where he won the Sir Charles Brett Prize and the Fitzpatrick Prize for figure drawing. From the outset in his career, McKelvey was an artist who devoted himself entirely and with discipline, to his art career. A prime example of his sustained devotion to his craft is his exhibiting record at the Royal Hibernian Academy. He began showing there in 1918 and continued to exhibit, without missing a year until 1973. Hence for a record 55 years his work was to be seen in Dublin, around three to five works annually; this might partly explain his firm place in the collective memory and indeed enduring appeal to Irish art collectors from the twentieth century to date. Brian Kennedy has observed that; he helped to forge a new and distinct way of representing the Irish scene which is the nearest approximation we have to a distinct Irish school of painting. (9, Kennedy, 1993).
Kennedy also admired his accomplished approach to landscape painting; he succeeded brilliantly in capturing the character of the Irish landscape and it is perhaps due to this rather than any other aspect of his work, that he is so admired today. (9, Kennedy, 1993) He has also noted the essentials of a McKelvey painting; overall feeling of lightnessspontaneity of the momenteven film of paintnaturalistic use of light.apparent ease of the artists technical ability. Crookshank and Glin admired McKelveys great freshness and competence. (290, Crookshank and Glin) It was also accepted that the artist was Ulsters primary anti-modernist painter...Possessed of considerable hand skills and sensitive observation, particularly in landscape and seascape in Antrim and Donegal... (160, Anglesea, 2000) Theo Snoddy also noted that County Donegal was a favourite painting area for him and it is certainly evident in his many existing paintings from places such as Marble Hill, Dunfanaghy, Bloody Foreland, Annagry, Glencolmcille, Portnoo, Narin; not to mention the more loosely titled Donegal Landscape and Donegal Scene, of which there are a number. He focused primarily on coastal scenes but also made studies of the Donegal landscape and mountains including Muckish and Errigal.
Tramore Beach near Rossbeg Co Donegal, is a fine example and it captures some of what Kenneth Jamison observed in McKelveys work; In landscape he maintains the Constable-Impressionist mode, to me most significant in his rendering of evening light on level estuaries, the gritty squall from bleak sand-dunes, and, best of all, in the stir of children wading at the seas edge in sunset (89, Sam Hanna Bell, 1971) The tiny figures are indicated with a few careful brushstrokes, just discernible, yet perfectly indicated. McKelvey employs his signature sunshine bathing the composition and this causes the viewer to squint to spy the figures in the distance; a familiar effort this actually gives the uncanny impression of being a participant in the scene and not merely the viewer of a painting. There are also two figures playing in the sand-dunes of the right foreground which further emphasises the inclusion of the viewer on the periphery. This panting features a range of the artists technical accomplishments; the carefully arranged composition, light foreground, fine rendering of the small breaking waves, the rocks, the beach and sand-dunes, naturalism of the scene and unifying employment of colour and light. It is a sensory painting where the viewer can imagine and appreciate the summers day, the light sea breeze and the sand underfoot.
Marianne O'Kane Boal, October 2015
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