The rosary

Kenneth McConkey (loc. cit.) comments on the present work: 'Despite the fact that Grace Henry became increasingly unhappy at Achill and wanted her husband, Paul, to leave, she managed to produce a number of notable canvases of the West of Ireland. Many of these were processional pictures, such as Coming Home from Mass, and they took up the theme of primitive Catholic piety in a style which had obvious links with Fauvism. In works like The Rosary, a subject which had been treated by Cezanne, she addressed religious observance in a cloissoniste style, strongly delineating her figures. This primitive manner complemented the social significance of the act which was noted by Lynn Doyle as late as 1935. Discussing the peasants of the West of Ireland, he wrote, 'The ceremonial part of their religion, as among most remote and sparse communities, is diligently practiced by Connemara folk. The old custom of assembling the family before bedtime to repeat the Rosary, though not universal, is still largely followed; and apart from its religious value has the effect of bringing young people home at a regular hour.''