In Memory of Peter Lanyon - Newmill Quarry in Winter with Windhover – Explore the National Gallery of Ireland's collection:

Tony O'Malley , Irish, 1913-2003

Title

In Memory of Peter Lanyon - Newmill Quarry in Winter with Windhover

Date1964

MediumOil on board

Dimensions

60 x 122 cm

Credit LinePurchased, 2018

Object numberNGI.2018.9

DescriptionThis is one of a series of paintings that O’Malley made following the death of his friend, artist Peter Lanyon (1918-64), in a glider accident. He referred to it as a ‘symbol picture’. The winter after Lanyon died O’Malley saw a hawk hovering over a quarry near Trevaylor in Cornwall. The scene’s perspective is flattened so that the composition is almost abstract.The dark abyss in the snowy landscape hints at the fragility of life, while the soaring bird signifies freedom and creativity.
ProvenanceArtist's Estate; purchased, Taylor Galleries, 2018Exhibition HistoryNew Perspectives. Acquisitions 2011 - 2020, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 11 May - 2 August 2021