William John Leech, Irish, 1881-1968
Title: The Sunshade
Date: c.1913
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
81 x 65 cm
Signed: lower left: Leech
Credit Line: Presented, Mrs M. Botterell, 1952
Object Number: NGI.1246
ProvenancePercy Botterell, c. 1919; bequeathed to May Botterell; presented, May Botterell, 1952
Exhibition HistoryNEAC, London, 1916
William John Leech: An Irish Painter Abroad, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 23 October 1996 - 15 December 1996; Musée des Beaux Arts, Quimper, 10 January - 10 March 1997; The Ulster Museum, Belfast, 28 March- 22 June 1997
When Time Began to Rant and Rage: Twentieth Century Figurative Paintings from Ireland, The Berkeley Art Museum, Berkeley, 10 February 1999 - 1 May 1999; The Grey Art Gallery, New York, 25 May 1999 - 24 July 1999
William John Leech: An Irish Painter Abroad, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 23 October 1996 - 15 December 1996; Musée des Beaux Arts, Quimper, 10 January - 10 March 1997; The Ulster Museum, Belfast, 28 March- 22 June 1997
When Time Began to Rant and Rage: Twentieth Century Figurative Paintings from Ireland, The Berkeley Art Museum, Berkeley, 10 February 1999 - 1 May 1999; The Grey Art Gallery, New York, 25 May 1999 - 24 July 1999
Label TextElizabeth Saurine, the artist’s first wife, modelled for this painting. In the background, the tall stems of lilies are visible. The setting may be the garden in Concarneau, where Leech painted his well-known picture A Convent Garden, Brittany (c.1913; National Gallery of Ireland). The parasol filters the sun and casts green shadows on the woman’s face. Both the bold colouring and the patches of light are characteristic of Leech’s Post-Impressionist style.