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Louis le Brocquy , Irish, 1916-2012

Title

Leda

Date1950

MediumOil on canvas

Dimensions

152.3 × 122 cm

SignedLower left: LE BROCQUY 50

Credit LinePresented, Ulster Bank Ireland DAC, 2022

Object numberNGI.2022.117

DescriptionThe subject of this painting is from the Greek myth Leda and the Swan, in which Zeus disguises himself as a swan and rapes Leda. In this work, Leda lies in the foreground, above her is a dark figure in the night sky. Though the myth tells us this figure is a swan, its form is abstracted and difficult to decipher, emphasising the shape-shifting nature of Zeus. This painting relates closely to a drawing by Le Brocquy, probably a preparatory sketch, entitled Woman and Swan (1949). The story of Leda and the Swan has been depicted throughout art history, inspiring works by Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Cézanne. In 1924, W. B. Yeats published a sonnet entitled ‘Leda and the Swan’.
ProvenancePresented, Ulster Bank Ireland DAC, 2022Exhibition HistoryPossibly, Irish Exhibition of Living Art, 1950 (under the title Woman and Bird,)