Lot Essay
Hilary Pyle writes of this work 'Yeats painted in watercolour for many years before venturing into oil, and his first oils, shown in London with the Allied Artists' Association from 1909, lean towards Sickert in their generally low tones and focussed representation. Using his paint thickly, he emphasises his images with a strong outline.
The subject matter was always his own. Racing would always be a favourite subject. His jockeys are akin to heros, as in this 1914 painting of a win which is a 'walk over'. The scene is Drumcliff in Country Sligo (where the strand races were famous) with the brow of Ben Bulben in the distance. The artist lines the course with characters of every description, shawlies and visitors, jockey, farmer, sailor and child, giving the feel of a lively local event. The day is a typical West of Ireland one, cloudy and blowy with a gleam of sunshine.
The picture was in the collection of Yeats's friend and patron, Thomas Bodkin, one time Director of the National Gallery of Ireland, and then first Director of the Barber Institute in Birmingham'.
(private correspondence, March 1996).
The subject matter was always his own. Racing would always be a favourite subject. His jockeys are akin to heros, as in this 1914 painting of a win which is a 'walk over'. The scene is Drumcliff in Country Sligo (where the strand races were famous) with the brow of Ben Bulben in the distance. The artist lines the course with characters of every description, shawlies and visitors, jockey, farmer, sailor and child, giving the feel of a lively local event. The day is a typical West of Ireland one, cloudy and blowy with a gleam of sunshine.
The picture was in the collection of Yeats's friend and patron, Thomas Bodkin, one time Director of the National Gallery of Ireland, and then first Director of the Barber Institute in Birmingham'.
(private correspondence, March 1996).