Auction that holds a mirror to various pathways taken by Irish artists

Art as a metaphor for the new Irish State writes Des O'Sullivan

The Maxol Family by John Doherty at Adams.

Reflections by Paul Henry at Adams evening sale of Important Irish Art in Dublin next Wednesday (March 25) is enough to give us all pause for thought. The catalogue cover lot is not typical of Henry's work. The focus of the painting is the lake.

Paul Henry is celebrated for his treatment of clouds, rapidly changing skies and the quality of light in the west of Ireland. Painted in the 1930's, Reflections is redolent of that Ireland then, but this work is different. The lake takes centre stage, the water dominates, and the sky is a mere narrow band. In this particular artwork, estimated at €100,000-€150,000, you get a reflected sky. It shimmers on the lake surface.

Reflections by Paul Henry at Adams.

From the photo realism of John Doherty to a volumetric composition by Mary Swanzy the 124 lots with estimates from €300 to €150,000 in this live and online auction hold a mirror to the many pathways that Irish artists have chosen to reflect their surroundings.

Swanzy's Cathedral Semur (€20,000-€30,000) displays the influence of Cezanne both in the colour scheme and the perspective. Everything moves upwards towards the 14th-century Gothic cathedral elevated above the town centre. The Maxol Family by John Doherty (€7,000-€10,000) is an acrylic on canvas with a set of blue petrol pumps on the side of the road, a once familiar scene now vanishing from our townscapes. As if to underscore this a second work by Doherty - titled Abandoned in Bantry - depicts a no longer in use red petrol pump abandoned at a derelict site. The acrylic on paper has an estimate of €1,500-€2,000.

Cathedral, Semur by Mary Swanzy at Adams.

Child Scarecrow/Falling Kite by John Shinnors (€10,000-€15,000) shows themes the Limerick artist has revisited and drawn inspiration from. The Sermon on the Mount by Evie Hone (€1,000-€1,500) is a watercolour from the estate of Leo Smith of the Dawson Gallery in Dublin. There are abstract works by William Scott and Felim Egan, landscapes by Frank McKelvey and Charles Lamb and the auction offers works in bronze by Melanie le Brocquy, John Behan and Imogen Stuart. It is on view from 2 pm to 5 pm today and tomorrow and daily next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The catalogue is online and bidding starts at 6 pm on Wednesday.

The online Irish Art Auction at de Veres next Tuesday evening (March 24) is on view now at Kildare St. in Dublin. There is art by Gerard Dillon, Dan O'Neill, Peter Curling, Barbara Warren, Liam O'Neill, Kenneth Webb and Mary Swanzy.

Elijah and the Ravens by Sean Keating at de Veres.

Elijah and the Ravens by Sean Keating (€10,000-€15,000) dates to 1940. It is a particular take on the Biblical story where Elijah was supposed to be protected and fed by ravens. In this work, it seems as if Elijah is being attacked by the ravens. It is, in fact, a metaphor for the new Irish State which had offered so much protection and promise and had, in Keating's view, achieved the exact opposite by its lack of support for the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art. This painting was lent by its then New York owner to the major Keating retrospective at the Municipal Gallery in Dublin opened by Éamon de Valera in 1963.

Estimates at de Veres range from €100 to €30,000. The top estimate is for a horse racing painting by Peter Curling entitled Irish Weather. The catalogue lists 199 lots.