WHYTE'S IMPORTANT IRISH ART 28 November 2022 at 6pm

98 62 John Shinnors (b.1950) KITE OVER THE ISLAND (DIPTYCH) oil on canvas laid on panel signed lower right 28.50 by 51in. (72.4 by 129.5cm) Frame Size: 32.5 by 54.5in. (82.6 by 138.4cm) Provenance: Taylor Galleries, Dublin; Private collection Speaking about his painting some years ago, John Shinnors mentioned that he was attracted to painting swallows largely because of their movement and their speed. The same could be said of the appeal of kites, another recurrent motif for him. Look at one of his paintings and, as he put it: “There’s always movement in relation to something else.”The darting shape and pattern of a bird, or a kite, draws the eye and transforms a scene. This fine diptych adopts a dizzying, disorientating aerial perspective, leaving the viewer suspended high above the estuarine landscape, laid out below as though on a map. While the picture’s various components are straightforward, the composition is infused with a great sense of drama. Probably Limerick’s most famous artist, John Shinnors was born in the city in 1950 and studied at the Limerick School of Art under the guidance of the renowned Jack Donovan. Under Donovan, the academic regime at the art school was apparently casual, but in fact underpinned by a real work ethic, and instilled great independence of spirit in the students. After a spell as a musician in England - a piano and a guitar remain fixtures in his studio - Shinnors set about becoming a painter in earnest. Initially known for making some hyper-realist works, always with a tinge of magic about them, he had a moment of revelation when he glanced in the window of his local fishmonger and was taken with the glitter, pattern and form of the mackerel displayed there. From that point on he developed a distinctive mode of picture-making based on a repertoire of highly personal motifs (including mackerel, cats, Frisian cows, magpies, washing hanging on the line, scarecrows, kites, lighthouses, road markings and more) always presented in dynamic arrangements of flattened forms, striking, abstracted patterns and a distinctive palette. That palette is dominated by an array of blacks, whites and greys, with careful, electric touches of vivid primaries and, as here, muted earth tones. Aidan Dunne, November 2022 €20,000-€30,000 (£17,240-£25,860 approx.) Click here for more images and to bid on this lot62