Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) Abstract by Night Oil on Masonite...

Estimate

€8,000 - €12,000

Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) Abstract by Night Oil on Masonite, 122 x 183cm (48 x 72'') Signed Provenance: Sake, Christie's, London, 18 February 1988, Lot 200, where purchased by the current owner *Subject to Import VAT - see p.9, note no.3. Although painted in style of abstraction, this work still maintains some representational elements, and its title Abstract by Night gives us some indication of a setting and timeframe. Working in a strong palette of colours, the stark shifts between the white and black backgrounds, heightens the intensity of the composition. The crescent shaped moon is set against an inky black sky along with diamond shaped yellow stars, shining brightly. Painted on a significant scale, it is a visually impressive work and one that is rich with symbolism. There are two distinct forms running both horizontally and vertically across the canvas. Visually, they appear, if viewed from above, as if we are looking down on a warren of streets in a town. A patchwork pattern of blocks of colour separated by weaving grey spirals. There is also an element of Celtic imagery at play here, with Dillon using motifs of spiral and circular forms, reflecting the archaeological and ancient history of Ireland. Imagery which is also evident in his earlier West of Ireland scenes. In the work Dillon is experimenting with geometric forms, line and colour, aspects that dominated modernist art of the 1920s abstract expressionism of 1950s. He has sectioned off areas of the composition, with clear lines separating elements from each other, while at other moments they overlap and interweave. From 1960s onwards he had adopted an abstract manner of painting, and in these works, texture was an important feature, using various different materials including sand. He represented Ireland at the Guggenheim International in 1960 with an oil and sand abstract work entitled Masquerade. The work is inscribed on the back ‘FOR IRISH EXHIBITION OF LIVING ART,’ an annual exhibition that aimed to highlight the modernist art movement in Ireland. Abstract art emerging in the 1920s did not reflect the approach adopted by the newly independent Irish Free State focusing on promoting a unique and traditional ‘Irish style’ of art. Dillon exhibited many times at IELA, from the inaugural exhibition in 1943 until his own death in 1971. Unfortunately, we do not know definitively if this work was included in the exhibition as the title does not match with records of his exhibited works. Niamh Corcoran, March 2025