Jack B. Yeats
, Irish, 1871-1957
Title
For the RoadDate1951
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions
61 × 92 cm
Signedlower right: Jack B. Yeats
Credit LinePresented, Mr. and Mrs. Frank L. Vickerman, 1978
Object numberNGI.4309
ProvenancePurchased through Victor Waddington Galleries, London, Mr and Mrs F. L. Vickerman, Dublin, March 1952; presented, Private Collection, 1978
Exhibition HistoryAn Tóstal: Irish Paintings 1903-1953, Municipal Gallery, Dublin, April - July 1953Loan Collection, Mound Galleries, Edinburgh, 1957
Loan Collection, Town Hall, Sligo, 14-27 August 1961
Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte: La Biennale di Venezia, Venice, July - October 1962
Jack B. Yeats: A Centenary Exhibition, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, September - December 1971; Cultural Centre, New York, April - June 1972
Jack B. Yeats in the National Gallery of Ireland, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 26 March - 20 April 1986
The Wandering Gaze, The Model, Home of the Niland Collection, Sligo, 06 July 2024 - 28 September 2024
Label TextYeats displayed a great affection for horses throughout his career. Horses feature prominently in his work, from his earliest watercolours of life in the west of Ireland to his later, more esoteric paintings. In this picture, a spectral horse gallops from the shadows of a wood towards a bright, distant opening, in which a figure in silhouette stands waiting. Skilfully foreshortened, the horse embodies freedom of movement, expressive energy and positive intent. An optimistic painting, it can be read as an allegory of life.