Erich Hartmann, German/American, 1922 - 1999
Title: Dublin, 1964 (Hurling Match)
Date: 1964
Medium: Silver gelatin print
Dimensions:
23 x 34 cm
Signed: on verso, lower right: Ruth Hartmann (the Artist's wife)
Credit Line: Purchased, 2018
Object Number: NGI.2018.111
DescriptionErich Hartmann visited Dublin for the first time in 1964. He had already explored the city extensively in his imagination, ever since he first read James Joyce’s Ulysses. But now he came in reality, and he brought his cameras. Eager to understand the strange mix that spawned great artistry but repelled the artist, he wandered the city searching out every place and incident of Joyce’s fictional June day sixty years before. This search resulted in more than an evocation of a novel. It is a record of Erich Hartmann’s own journey of discovery through Dublin, captured in over 3,000 images.
Spectators at the 1964 All Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final are seated in rows that stretch from the foreground to the background of the photograph with a railing dividing the composition of the photograph in half. The spectators in the foreground are in clear focus while those seated in rows that make up the background of the work are largely out of focus. In the left foreground a number of men are engaged in the match taking place before, some with pensive gazes and others with furrowed brows illustrating their frustration or confusion at what is taking place before them. One man leans against the back of his seat so that he is raised above the crowd around him. His arms are folded and he is squinting his eyes to view the match. He is completely absorbed by what is taking place on the pitch. The man seated to his right where’s a hat with the words “Up Kilkenny” written on it. The Leinster champions lost to their Munster opponents this day on a score line of 5-13 to 2-8 and this may account for the dissatisfied expressions of many of the fans in the foreground. The young boy on the right side of the elevated man is looking around and seems to have spotted the photographer. With furrowed brows and a curious stare, perhaps he is wondering why a man with a camera is facing away from the excitement on the pitch to observes the crowd. Beyond this, the dizzying rows of spectators in the background of the work nearly blend together in a sea of black and white.
Spectators at the 1964 All Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final are seated in rows that stretch from the foreground to the background of the photograph with a railing dividing the composition of the photograph in half. The spectators in the foreground are in clear focus while those seated in rows that make up the background of the work are largely out of focus. In the left foreground a number of men are engaged in the match taking place before, some with pensive gazes and others with furrowed brows illustrating their frustration or confusion at what is taking place before them. One man leans against the back of his seat so that he is raised above the crowd around him. His arms are folded and he is squinting his eyes to view the match. He is completely absorbed by what is taking place on the pitch. The man seated to his right where’s a hat with the words “Up Kilkenny” written on it. The Leinster champions lost to their Munster opponents this day on a score line of 5-13 to 2-8 and this may account for the dissatisfied expressions of many of the fans in the foreground. The young boy on the right side of the elevated man is looking around and seems to have spotted the photographer. With furrowed brows and a curious stare, perhaps he is wondering why a man with a camera is facing away from the excitement on the pitch to observes the crowd. Beyond this, the dizzying rows of spectators in the background of the work nearly blend together in a sea of black and white.
ProvenanceErich and Ruth Hartmann, 1964-2007; Clair by Kahn Gallery, 2007; purchased, Clair by Kahn Gallery, Zurich, 2018
Inscriptionon verso (in pencil, print code): 64-30-67 / 3
on verso (wet stamp): 1965 Magnum Photo
on verso (stamp): MAgnum Photo library stamp with log reference 8159
on verso (stamp): Copyirght Erich Hartmann/ Magnum stamp
on verso (wet stamp): 1965 Magnum Photo
on verso (stamp): MAgnum Photo library stamp with log reference 8159
on verso (stamp): Copyirght Erich Hartmann/ Magnum stamp