Aloysius O'Kelly
, Irish, 1853-1936
Title
Preparing for WinterDate1880s
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions
61.1 x 50.6 cm
Signedlower left: Aloysius O'Kelly
Credit LinePresented, Dr Monica Lawlor, 2009
Object numberNGI.2009.15
ProvenanceBy descent through artist's family; presented by Dr Monica Lawlor, 2009Label TextThis painting appears to date from one of O’Kelly’s numerous visits to relatives in Kent in the mid-1880s. However, the subject is consistent with the artist’s recent experience in Brittany, where visiting artists were fascinated by those costumes, activities and accoutrements that were identifiable with particular towns and regions. This picture suggests a similar approach to a Home Counties subject, in which O’Kelly was investigating the routine lives of local people. The elderly man’s bowler hat and whiskers are characteristically English, while the utensil he carries is a Kentish brishing hook.