A painting of the murder scene of French woman Sophie Toscan du Plantier which has won the €1,700 Markievicz Gold Medal was described as "a lovely piece of art" by Minister of State Ms Mary Hanafin last night.
Ms Hanafin was speaking after she presented the Markievicz Gold Medal for aspiring artists to winner Katherine Griffiths, of Bandon, Co Cork.
Ms Griffiths beat 12 artists to win the competition organised by the Markievicz Trust for her piece entitled Obsession and Murder.
The theme of the competition was love in all of its aspects. Ms Griffiths was inspired by the murder of Ms Toscan du Plantier in Schull, Cork, in 1996, and depicts the woman's holiday cottage and murder scene on canvas.
When asked if the painting was in good taste, Ms Hanafin said it was not "an offensive murder painting but a lovely piece of art".
"The inspiration certainly gave rise to a beautiful painting; it's a commemorative piece," she told The Irish Times.
"It's a very traditional-looking painting, with a country road and house and Celtic cross. People can relate to it but the title forces you to look at it," said Ms Hanafin.
"The artist said a form of obsessive love gave rise to the murder," she said, explaining the artist's interpretation of love.
"The organisers deserve credit as €1,700 is a very generous prize. It's great that Countess Markievicz is being celebrated for something other than politics. She was also a great supporter of the arts in her time."