Augustus Nicholas Burke
, Irish, 1838-1891
Title
A Connemara GirlDateearly 1870s
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions
63 x 48 cm
Signedlower left: A. Burke, R.H.A.
Credit LinePresented, Mrs Ida Monahan, 1951
Object numberNGI.1212
ProvenancePresented, Mrs Ida Monhan, 1951
Exhibition HistoryChildhood, Education Centre, Trim, February - March 1980; Castlebar, March - April 1980A Wild Atlantic Way, The Hunt Museum, 9 July - 3 October 2021
Label TextShowing a young woman in traditional Connemara attire, this painting might be said to evoke rather than illustrate Augustus Burke’s beloved west of Ireland. It was probably painted before the artist’s reluctant emigration, prompted by his brother’s murder alongside the Chief Secretary in the Phoenix Park in 1882. While the artist has relied on authentic detail, particularly in the girl’s costume and the terrain, he has made no attempt to disguise the contrived nature of the composition. The central position of the figure, her head and shoulders framed by a heavy shawl, calls to mind devotional Christian imagery.