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William Crozier HRHA (1930-2011)
ENTRANCE TO THE STRAND
oil on canvas
signed lower right; signed again and titled on reverse
51.50
by 46.50in. (130.81 by 118.11cm)
Provenance:
Purchased directly from the artist
In 1983 the Scottish born artist,William Crozier bought a cottage at
Kilcoe, near Skibbereen, Co. Cork where the surrounding landscape had
a profound effect on his work. A well-established artist with an
international reputation, he felt that he was painting nature for the first
time.There is a sense of a newly discovered terrain in the way in which
Entrance to the Strand
is constructed, making the countryside appear
strange and exhilarating. Described as if ‘lit from within’, a painting like
Entrance to the Strand
evokes a strong sense of the exotic colours and
dramatic vistas of West Cork. Crozier brought his vast experience and
knowledge of modernist European traditions to bear on the work. In
particular one can see the sensuous colour and intense forms of the
Fauves and the Scottish Colourists in the painting.
Entrance to the Strand
is a striking example of Crozier’s ability to extract
the maximum vibrancy from nature. It uses a complex and highly
expressive combination of flattened space and strong colour to convey
the opulence of the landscape and of the process of painting. Painted
near Kilcoe, with a view of Roaring Water Bay in the distance, the work
builds up a powerful juxtaposition of the elements of the landscape -
trees, fields, sea and distant islands.The pathway, river and expanse of
green in the foreground and middle distance act as obstacles to the
coastline at the top of the composition, drawing the viewer into an
engagement with the work.Vibrant pinks and reds connect the sky to
the trees and pathway, where these tones evoke the vividly coloured
fuschia of the region.The combination of strong hues of green, blue
and pink makes the view appear like that of an exotic oasis, into which
the viewer, like an explorer, is brought into direct contemplation. In this
painting nature has been re-invented and supplanted by the
imagination of the artist and the process of painting.
Dr. Róisín Kennedy
October 2012
€
18,000-
€
22,000 (
£15,000-£17,600 approx)
The Collection of Jim O’Driscoll SC
WHYTES
SINCE 1783
,