Contemporary Figuration in Ireland: An Exploration of the Work of James Hanley

Grace Murray-Cavanagh
Trinity College Dublin
Department of History of Art and Architecture
2006
BA

Subject: Painting
Country: Ireland
Period: 20th and 21st Century

10,000 words

This dissertation examines the oeuvre thus far of contemporary Irish figurative painter and portraitist James Hanley. The author explores Hanley's thematic preoccupations as well as his stylistic evolution as an artist. The study approaches Hanley's art by looking in detail at three key works - 'The Would-Be's' (1995), 'Portrait of Ronnie Delaney' (2000), and 'Grand Tourist' (1997) - considering their thematic concerns in the context of his broader oeuvre and tracing the artist's stylistic evolution. The author also considers the importance of external factors on Hanley's career and their impact on his art. The study examines the circumstances of Hanley's artistic education; the unusual prominence of the male in his work; the artist's approach to his craft; and notions of the national and the artist-as-critic. Hanley is also considered in the context of contemporary art and criticism in Ireland. Appendices include interviews with the artist and with art writer/critic Brian Fallon.

Irish Georgian Society

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Contemporary Figuration in Ireland: An Exploration of the Work of James Hanley