Erich Hartmann
, German/American, 1922-1999
Title
Returning from a Hurling Match, 1964Date1964
MediumVintage gelatin silver print
Dimensions
15 x 22 cm
Credit LinePresented, 2019
Object numberNGI.2019.229
DescriptionErich Hartmann visited Dublin for the first time in 1964. He had already explored the city extensively in his imagination, ever since he first read James Joyce’s 'Ulysses'. But now he came in reality, and he brought his cameras. Eager to understand the strange mix that spawned great artistry but repelled the artist, he wandered the city searching out every place and incident of Joyce’s fictional June day sixty years before. This search resulted in more than an evocation of a novel. It is a record of Erich Hartmann’s own journey of discovery through Dublin, captured in over 3,000 images. This photograph of a young boy looking over a wall, with a pronounced crack in it, might depict the aftermath of 'Hurling Match, Dublin', 1964, another one of the fourteen photographs by Hartmann in the Gallery’s collection. That image portrays Kilkenny supporters at the 1964 All Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final. One wonders as they look at the clasped hands that cover the mouth of boy if he is contemplating the success of the county he supports or dwelling on their loss.
ProvenanceEstate of Erich Hartmann; presented, 2019