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| A Harry Clarke's work in glass |
The main necessity for the development of high profile visual art is a society which is wealthy and stable enough to train the artists and buy their works. In pagan and early Christian times, Irish craftsmen produced objects of great beauty in gold, silver, metal and jewels, while the illuminated manuscripts of the Irish monks are among the most beautiful in the world. Under English rule, the native Irish were far too poor, in general, to even think of creating visual works of art.
The Anglo-Irish Protestant community produced many fine artists, sculptors and architects. The best-known were working at the end of the nineteenth century and they included Walter Osborne, Nathaniel Hone, Jack B. Yeats, and the great stained glass artist, Harry Clarke.
The Independent State of Ireland, which emerged after 1922 was neither rich nor aware enough to pay any great attention to visual or other arts. Artists were expected to celebrate the traditional way of life and the landscape, especially of the West of Ireland.
Things began slowly to improve in the 1950's and there is now quite a lively and varied selection of work by contemporary Irish artists to be seen in art galleries in Dublin and around the country.
Source: Why do the Irish? by Fiana Griffin
I dislike the word art as to painting.
There is only one art and that is the art of living.
Painting is an occupation that's in that art,
and that occupation is the freest of all the occupations of living.
Jack B. Yeats
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