A decade ago a book on Irish art was published here with the title The Irish Figurists. Looking at five painters, it was produced to coincide with an exhibition of their work in Dublin. Both show and book were extremely popular at the time and so, 10 years later, the latter has been reissued in a limited edition of 1,000 copies.
The five artists classified by author Susan Stairs as "Figurists" are George Campbell, Gerard Dillon, Gladys MacCabe, Daniel O'Neill and Markey Robinson; all, except MacCabe are now dead and all shared the same interest in continuing the Irish tradition of figurative painting.
Campbell, O'Neill and Dillon were longstanding friends and are frequently bracketed together. They were promoted by Victor Waddington, who, in his Dublin gallery, held an exhibition of O'Neill's work in 1945 at which 21 of the 24 pictures on show were sold. When a small O'Neill retrospective was held in Belfast in 1952, John Hewitt wrote that, "the critic may call him an out and out romantic; he may assert that O'Neill's vision is narrow but deep; that his colour range is restricted but subtle; that he treats his pigment with affection . . . that his work has both a sensory and a sensual quality." This remains an excellent introduction to O'Neill, who in regard to the romanticism of his vision may be regarded as the heir of George Russell.
Dillon, on the other hand, had a style which was more primitive and, at times, more bleak in character. Having been born and raised in Belfast and then spent much time in London, he became fascinated by rural life in the west of Ireland; this inspired some of his best work. This is apparent in a watercolour such as Shawlies, painted in the early 1940s and included in The Irish Figurists.
During the early part of his career, George Campbell was the most overtly academic of the trio but like both the others he tended to experiment with such a variety of styles that, Susan Stairs points out, summarising his work is almost impossible - "he was so prolific and experimented with so many different techniques".
Many of his later, more abstract pictures present a challenge to Irish collectors, who continue to prefer art which is clearly figurative; in this book, for example, there is an interesting contrast between an oil view of a Belfast cafe dating from early 1950 and, on the very next page, a collage of Tenerife made some 20 years later; the two could have been produced by different artists.
As already noted, Gladys MacCabe is still alive and continues to enjoy success, while Markey Robinson, who only seemed to acquire more admirers with age, died last year at the age of 81. Given the generous colour and black and white photographs, as well as Ms Stairs's thoroughly researched texts - along with the steadily rising interest in Irish art - this is a timely reprint.
The Irish Figurists by Susan Stairs is published by Shortall-Stairs Publications and costs £45 in a limited edition of 1,000 copies; for further information, telephone 01- 4901406.
