WHYTE'S IRISH & INTERNATIONAL ART 29 MAY 2023 AT 6PM

98 70 John Shinnors (b.1950) BACK TO THE LIGHTHOUSE, LIGHTHOUSE NO. 5, 2008 oil on linen 10 by 21in. (25.4 by 53.3cm) Frame Size: 31 by 41in. (78.7 by 104.1cm) Exhibired: ‘Back to the Lighthouse’, John Shinnors, Wexford Arts Centre, 11 October to 2 November 2008, catalogue no. 5 (illustrated in catalogue) Back to the Lighthouse, Lighthouse No. 5 was exhibited in the year it was executed, 2008, at an exhibition entitled ‘Back to the Lighthouse’ at the Wexford Arts Centre. Lighthouses are among a number of recurring motifs in the oeuvre of John Shinnors, others include scarecrows and kites and animals like cats, magpies, and Frisian cows. These are usually depicted abstracted, flattened and from unusual or disorientating perspectives. His palette is restrained, at first glance appearing monochromatic but on closer examination revealing a depth of colour. In the present example shades of green, red, ochre and blue appear to glow from behind the blurred lines that divide light and shade. Shinnors’ career began and continues in his native Limerick. He studied at the Limerick School of Art under Jack Donovan and in 1977 debuted at the Oireachtas exhibition. Almost a quarter of a century before Back to the Lighthouse, Lighthouse No. 5 was painted, John Shinnors was awarded the prestigious Guinness Peat Aviation Emerging Artists Award. This accolade led to important patronage and in 1987 he was inducted into the National Self-Portrait Collection of Ireland. His work is included in many prestigious private and public collections including An Chomhairle Ealaíon, Bank of Ireland, Ulster Museum, Irish Museum of Modern Art and the Royal Hibernian Academy. He was elected Aosdána in 1997. His art has been the source of inspiration for many poets including John Montague, John Liddy, Pat Boran and fellow Aosdána Theo Dorgan who wrote the catalogue essay and a set of three poems to accompany the ‘Back to the Lighthouse’ exhibition. Adelle Hughes, April 2023 €8,000-€12,000 (£7,020-£10,530 approx.) Click here for more images and to bid on this lot70