Louis le Brocquy HRHA (1916-2012)
The Táin - The Boy Cúchulainn Hurling, 1969
Aubusson Tapestry, 184 x 129cm (72½ x 50¾''), Edition 2/9
Produced by René Duché,
Signed on label verso

Provenance:...

Louis le Brocquy HRHA (1916-2012)
The Táin - The Boy Cúchulainn Hurling, 1969
Aubusson Tapestry, 184 x 129cm (72½ x 50¾''), Edition 2/9
Produced by René Duché,
Signed on label verso

Provenance: With Taylor Galleries, Dublin where purchased by the current owners.

 

Having commissioned a new translation of the Irish mythological epic, the Táin Bó Cúailnge from Thomas Kinsella in 1967, Dolmen Press publisher Liam Miller approached Louis le Brocquy with a view to his making a series of illustrations to complement the text. Le Brocquy embraced the challenge. Recalling the striking, calligraphic approach to painting in the work of the Parisian, Belgian-born artist, writer and poet Henri Michaux, inspired by Zen calligraphy, le Brocquy felt he could devise a graphic visual language that would convey the sweep, pace and movement of the great epic and its formidable, larger-than-life characters. Furthermore he could do so harnessing all the freedom of monochromatic, brush and ink drawing, reflecting the reality of the printed black-on-white publication.

 

The result was a series of remarkable graphic works that brought the ancient world of heroes and incredible feats to vivid life, to universal acclaim. Even as he worked on the brush drawings, le Brocquy began to think that the bold, energised images, formed by pure, unmediated gesture, might by ripe for translation into lithography and tapestry. A major commission for the PJ Carroll & Sons building in Dundalk allowed him to create an epic tapestry, The Táin, woven by Aubusson in 1970. That tapestry is made with a colour palette. A later commission, towards the millennium, prompted him to revisit his original illustrations and realise his ambition to explore the possibilities for working in black-and-white. Atelier René Duché at Aubusson wove another vast commissioned work, Army Massing, and also a series of individual pieces, all in black-and-white, including this energetic tribute to the super-heroic Cúchulainn, celebrating his prowess at the national sport.

 

One of the leading Irish artists of the 20th century, le Brocquy was a central figure in Irish art and cultural life from the early 1940s onwards. He is celebrated for his approach to capturing the individual human consciousness, including his innovative portrait heads of writers and others.

 

Aidan Dunne, August 2024

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