Paul Henry RHA (1877-1958)
Reflections (c.1930/5)
Oil on canvas board, 30 x 40cm (11¾ x 15¾")
Signed 


Provenance: Sale, these rooms, 30/5/2007, lot 48, where purchased by the present owner

 

The...

Paul Henry RHA (1877-1958)
Reflections (c.1930/5)
Oil on canvas board, 30 x 40cm (11¾ x 15¾")
Signed 


Provenance: Sale, these rooms, 30/5/2007, lot 48, where purchased by the present owner

 

The small area of sky and generous foreground evident in this composition is unusual in Paul Henry’s work, although the essential two-part division of the picture plane between these two areas is a familiar device in his art. The lightness in mood of the scene and the freely applied brushwork suggest a date of execution of around 1930-5, a period in the artist’s life when the domestic and other difficulties of the previous decade were well behind him. A similar composition, and with similar handling of paint, to Henry’s Cottages 1930-5, number 762 in S. B. Kennedy’s forthcoming catalogue of Paul Henry’s oeuvre. The title ‘Reflections’ is inscribed on the reverse, but possibly not in the artist’s hand. Numbered 1213 in S. B. Kennedy’s ongoing listing of Paul Henry’s works.　

S.B. Kennedy　 (May 2007)

What is immediately striking in this composition is Henry’s decision to allow the lake to take centre stage. The water dominates, acting not merely as a foreground element but as a mirror that quietly doubles the world above it. The sky itself is barely visible as a physical presence, just a narrow band above the mountains, yet it lives fully within the painting through its reflection.　

The cottages themselves, clustered modestly by the water’s edge, anchor the painting in human presence without disturbing its peace. Trails of smoke billow from the chimneys, curling upward into the clear air. This small but vital detail breathes life into the scene. These are not abandoned dwellings or romantic ruins; they are lived-in homes. Somewhere within those white walls, fires are lit, kettles are boiling, and daily life continues at an unhurried pace.

Henry’s treatment of the cottages is characteristically restrained. There is no unnecessary detail, no attempt to individualise them beyond their shared form and function. Instead, they stand as symbols of rural Irish life; humble, enduring, and deeply connected to the land. The Connemara mountains behind them rise gently rather than dramatically, their presence solid but unthreatening. They serve as a protective backdrop, enclosing the scene and reinforcing the sense of shelter and belonging.

Reflections endures because it captures something timeless about the West of Ireland; its light, its stillness, and its ability to feel both vast and intimate at once. It is a painting that does not demand attention, but gently rewards it; offering, like the lake itself, a calm space in which to pause and reflect.

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