Michael George Brennan, Irish, 1839-1871
Title: A Vine Pergola at Capri
Date: 1866
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
56 x 75 cm
Signed: lower right: M.G. Brennan, Capri 1866
Credit Line: Purchased, 1873
Object Number: NGI.153
DescriptionBrennan moved to Italy around 1863, hoping to improve his failing health. He stayed in Rome for several years, sending works back to exhibitions in Ireland and England, and then moved on to Capri, where he produced many works of exceptional quality. Pictures like A Vine Pergola at Capri are evidence not just of Brennan’s familiarity with and affection for his surroundings, but also of his awareness of current trends in European art. Several artists from Britain and Ireland, among them Brennan’s compatriot Helen Mabel Trevor, were drawn to Capri’s climate and picturesque subjects.
Brennan documented the religiosity, industry and recreational habits of the local population in much the same manner as many of his Irish contemporaries did in Brittany and elsewhere in provincial France. His Capri paintings record a world glowing with Mediterranean heat, in which life proceeds at an easy pace. The main standing figure in the foreground of this painting stretches with fatigue towards the end of the working day, but the hardship of her labour seems alleviated by the evening sunshine and the calming presence of the sea. The children who pick grapes from the floor and place them in the large wickerwork basket seem similarly calmly absorbed in their task. The management of perspective, along with the variety of poses and quality of detail demonstrate Brennan’s excellent draughtsmanship, while the tranquil atmosphere testifies to his sophisticated understanding of colour and tone.
March 2016
Brennan documented the religiosity, industry and recreational habits of the local population in much the same manner as many of his Irish contemporaries did in Brittany and elsewhere in provincial France. His Capri paintings record a world glowing with Mediterranean heat, in which life proceeds at an easy pace. The main standing figure in the foreground of this painting stretches with fatigue towards the end of the working day, but the hardship of her labour seems alleviated by the evening sunshine and the calming presence of the sea. The children who pick grapes from the floor and place them in the large wickerwork basket seem similarly calmly absorbed in their task. The management of perspective, along with the variety of poses and quality of detail demonstrate Brennan’s excellent draughtsmanship, while the tranquil atmosphere testifies to his sophisticated understanding of colour and tone.
March 2016
ProvenancePurchased, Christie's, London, 1873
Exhibition HistoryIerse schilders der 19e en 20e eeuw, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, 1951
Label TextBrennan moved to Italy around 1863, hoping to improve his failing health. He stayed in Rome for several years before moving on to Capri, where he produced works of exceptional quality. These demonstrate not just his familiarity with and affection for his surroundings, but also his awareness of current trends in European art. He documented the religiosity, industry and recreational habits of the local population in much the same manner as many of his contemporaries did in Brittany and elsewhere.