IRISH ARTISTS MARY SWANZY & MAY GUINNESS

Welcome to this month’s Oil Painting Blog for Beginners. [*]

In celebration of International Women’s Day and following our theme of ‘the Irish Artist’, this month we are taking a helicopter view of two of our twentieth century Women Irish Artists, including one of my absolute favourites, Mary Swanzy, and the revolutionary artist, May Guinness.

Each of these artists deserves a full blog and indeed many books dedicated to them. However, through this short blog, I hope to introduce or reintroduce you to their work, which luckily can be seen in our galleries including the National Gallery of Ireland, the Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin and the Crawford Gallery, Cork.

Mary Swanzy (1882 – 1978)

Self-portrait with a candle
ca. 1940
Mary Swanzy

The Modern Museum of Irish Art (IMMA) describes Swanzy, as being: –

“…a unique Irish artist. Her level of achievement, world travel and original thinking is unmatched in Irish art… She witnessed the birth of Modern art in Paris before the First World War and her work rapidly evolved through the different styles of the day, each of them interpreted and transformed by her in a highly personal way.” [1]

I was first introduced to Mary Swanzy’s artwork, after purchasing ‘Analysing Cubism’ published by the Crawford Art Gallery, Cork [2]. Somehow over the years, the book must have kept catching my eye, as unbeknownst to myself, I’ve managed to purchase three more copies of it.

Then, in 2018/19, I got to see her works in person at her first retrospective in 50 years which was held in IMMA, Kilmainham, Co. Dublin. To this day, it was, in my opinion, one of the very best exhibitions, that I have seen to date. Everything was just exquisite, the artwork, framing, hanging and overall curation. I visited the exhibition several times that spring.

A few Key Facts about Swanzy: –

Key Fact 1: She was born in Dublin to Sir Henry Swanzy, a distinguished ophthalmic (eye) surgeon and was sent to finishing school at Versailles in France and then to Freiburg in Germany. [3]

Key Fact 2: She studied the paintings of Cezanne, Gauguin, Braque, Derain, Matisse and Picasso [4] and in turn explored the various art movements of that time, including Post-Impressionism, Cubism and Fauvism.

Key Fact 3: Between 1919 – 1924, following the death of her parents, she travelled to eastern Europe, Samoa, Hawaii, and California. [5] According to Sean Kissane, curator of her retrospective exhibition Voyages at IMMA:

“There are only three modern artists that we know of who went to the South Seas, first and most famously, Paul Gaugin, Emile Nolde and the third is Mary Swanzy.” [6]

Fact Four: Some things are hopefully changing – I still think that they are way too slow as I imagine, many of us, can resonate with Mary’s words: –

“… if I had been born Henry instead of Mary my life would have been very different…” [7]

Abstract Geometric Painting of Plants
ca. 1920
Mary Swanzy
Oil on Canvas

On long term loan from Wexford Art Centre 1979
Collection of Wexford County Council

Portrait of Gertrude Jekyll
1910-11
Mary Swanzy

Private Collection

Allegory
1945-49
Mary Swanzy

National Gallery of Ireland

May Guinness (1863 – 1955)

Portrait Study
ca. 1930
May Guinness
Crawford Art Gallery

Presented by Miss Merrick Lloyd 1957
©The artist estate

Hailed as “the first practising artist to introduce a modernist sensibility into Irish art”, May Guinness was something of a revolutionary. [8]

In 1894, at the tender age of 31, May began her journey into the professional art world and travelled to the art colony of Newlyn, Cornwall with fellow artist Mildred Anne Butler to study under Norman Garstin, an Irish landscape and impressionist artist. [9] Prior to this, she stayed at home to school her younger siblings.

Shades of Evening
Mildred Ann Butler
(1858 – 1941)

© National Gallery of Ireland

Poppies
Norman Garstin
(1847 – 1926)

From 1902, she travelled to Florence and then to Paris, where, between 1910 – 25, she studied under the Dutch French artist ‘Kees’ Van Dongen (another favourite of mine) and the French Cubist artist, André Lhote, along with fellow Irish artists, Evie Hone and Mainie Jellett. [10]

Le Coquelicot, Musee Albi
1960
Kees Van Donegan
(1877-1968)
Private Collection

Illustrated in Juffermans ‘Kees van Dongen – The Complete Graphic Work’ page 175

L’escale
1913
André Lhote
(1885 – 1962)

Some key facts:

Key Fact 1: She was a direct descendant of Arthur Guinness, [11] the inventor of Guinness Beer and founder of the Guinness Brewery at St James Gate Co. Dublin. [12]

Key Fact 2: In 1915 she enlisted as a nurse in the French army and in 1917 she was awarded the Croix de Guerre for her bravery during the battle of Verdun and after the end of World War I she also received the Medal of French Gratitude.

Key Fact 3: She was also an avid art collector and when she died in July 1955, she left works by Pablo Picasso, Pierre Bonnard, Henri Matisse, Georges Rouault and Raoul Dufy to be auctioned in aid of the roof of St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin. [13]

Rialto Bridge
May Guinness

Image © Morgan O’ Driscoll

Lady Sun Lounging
May Guinness

Image © Adams Auctioneers

Still Life
May Guinness

Next month, we will be looking at some more Irish Artists, their artwork and painting style, after that we will be delving into more oil painting techniques and maybe a few lesson plans for you to try at home.

If you would like to learn to paint like some of the old masters our spring/summer timetable is now on our website – Complete beginners are welcomed.

The workshops are kept to a minimum of 4-5 persons, and I’ll be on hand to guide you through the steps involved for each painting that you do, along with teaching you how to get the best from your painting kit, oil painting techniques and works by the old masters.

If you are already thinking about Mother’s and Father’s day, we also have gift vouchers available for you or a loved one, for our Saturday Beginners Workshop, and our one-to-one consultations, the latter, being by appointment.

Until next month, wishing you nothing but the very best of wishes.

Emily McCormack
March 2023