Paul Henry Hardcover - 2000

From the publisher

In his idyllic landscape paintings of the west of Ireland, Paul Henry (1876-1958) provides the quintessential view of the Irish scene, now as universally familiar as Cezanne's view of Provence or Constable's recording of Suffolk. Henry stands alone as the most influential landscapist to work in Ireland in the twentieth century. In this generously illustrated biography, S. B. Kennedy tells the story of Henry's life and artistic achievements, interweaves the life of his highly talented wife Grace, and explores his friendships and associations in the artistic worlds of Paris, London, Dublin, and Belfast.

Kennedy offers a full account of Henry's entire career, including his early experience studying under Whistler in fin-de-siecle Paris, his subsequent work as an illustrator in London, and his transforming trip to Achill Island in his native Ireland in 1910. Transfixed by the landscape, the people of the island, and their way of life, Henry thereafter devoted his career to painting Irish life and landscape, introducing a degree of realism that was new to Irish painting. Kennedy also discusses the career of Henry's first wife, Grace (1868-1953), a painter in her own right who here emerges from behind the shadow of her husband as a more substantial figure than has been previously recognized. In addition, the author sets Henry's work in historical context and considers the reasons for renewed interest in Henry's landscape paintings in recent years.