Nathaniel Hone the Younger, Irish, 1831-1917
Title: Pastures at Malahide
Date: c.1894-1896
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
82 x 124 cm
Credit Line: Presented, the Artist, 1907
Object Number: NGI.588
DescriptionHone delighted in painting the countryside around his home in north County Dublin. This is the largest and best-known painting of many he produced of cattle in the fields around Malahide, which record not just the topography and colour of the landscape but the climate and atmosphere associated with it. It is a remarkably simple composition, divided into two clearly distinct zones of land and sky. Hone has been careful not to clutter the composition or overwork the detail, describing ragwort plants with careful economy and clustering the heavy bodies of the cattle at the centre of the large canvas. As a consequence, he has managed to reproduce on a large scale the subtle nuances that characterise much smaller works of this kind. He has been particularly successful in capturing the transitory nature of the scene. In this respect, he owes a debt to French plein-air painting, which he knew well.
The facility Hone shows in painting convincingly lush vegetation and voluminous clouds was the result of hours of careful observation and prolific industry. He demonstrated these skills throughout his career, and in disparate environments, from the woodland of Barbizon, and the arid Mediterranean coast, to the deserts of North Africa.
March 2016
The facility Hone shows in painting convincingly lush vegetation and voluminous clouds was the result of hours of careful observation and prolific industry. He demonstrated these skills throughout his career, and in disparate environments, from the woodland of Barbizon, and the arid Mediterranean coast, to the deserts of North Africa.
March 2016
ProvenancePresented, the Artist, 1907
Exhibition HistoryRoyal Hibernian Academy, Dublin, 1894 or 1896
N. Hone - J.B. Yeats Exhibition, Dublin, 1901
Exhibition of Irish Art, Guildhall, London, 1904
Irish International Exhibition, Dublin, 1907
Ierse schilders der 19e en 20e eeuw, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, 1951
Centenary Exhibition, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, October - December 1964
Nathaniel Hone the Younger, 1831-1917, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 19 June - 4 August 1991
N. Hone - J.B. Yeats Exhibition, Dublin, 1901
Exhibition of Irish Art, Guildhall, London, 1904
Irish International Exhibition, Dublin, 1907
Ierse schilders der 19e en 20e eeuw, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, 1951
Centenary Exhibition, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, October - December 1964
Nathaniel Hone the Younger, 1831-1917, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 19 June - 4 August 1991
Label TextThis is the largest and best-known painting of many that Hone produced of cattle in the fields around his home in north County Dublin. They record not just the topography and colour of the landscape, but the climate and atmosphere associated with it. This is a remarkably simple composition, divided into two clearly distinct zones of land and sky. Hone has been careful not to clutter the composition or overwork the detail. His success in capturing the transitory nature of the scene is attributable to his knowledge of French plein-air painting.