Desmond Hickey (1907-1987) - Hydrangeas

Desmond Hickey 1927 1987 Dublin, Ireland, Desmond attended the National College of Art and Design in the late 1970s and early 1980s. His tutors during this period were John Coyle, RHA, and Des Carrick, RHA. However, he is primarily self-taught. He took private lessons with Henry Healy, RHA, for five years, and Healy influenced the way he approached his work.

To a large extent, 19th-century French painters, the Impressionists, influenced Hickey. He also appreciates the subjective and expressive use of color by the Fauvist school, and Picasso for his thematic approach. In the Irish school, several painters also inspired him, particularly William Orpen, William Leech, and Roderic O'Connor. The location and environment have also influenced his way of painting: in Ireland, he tries to capture the rapid changes in light, while in France, the more stable conditions of a calmer setting.

The very act of painting inspires him; he states: "Creating the pictorial representation of a subject involves transforming the 'real' object into its pictorial counterpart. In the process, visual language is used, and numerous nuances are experienced regarding how painting itself functions." The subject is less important than painting itself due to the problems and opportunities that the act of painting presents to the artist. Each painting is a constant challenge, a fascinating formation, and an exploratory tool to observe the relationships between light and shadow, warm and cool.

Generally working on the theme, his work spans from landscapes, still lifes, interior domestic scenes, to figurative works. Each of his paintings focuses on the challenge of expressing the unique visual character of the subject within a brief, specific period of time. His work illustrates a way of exploring, discovering, and recording visual relationships in the visual world, unlike narrative painting with a message. However, Hickey's main concern is 'the manipulation of painting itself.' He says: 'When the opportunity arises, I like to make a joke, a subtle comment, or insert the sense of a broader context; for example, in still lifes, by combining objects chosen for their design, I sometimes use image titles to guide the viewer toward a particular way of seeing the painting,' a very well-executed piece with soft yet powerful brushstrokes, CIRCA 1980, very impressionist, possibly a self-portrait of the artist painting. The artwork belonged to a family from Ireland settled in southern Spain for decades. It is in perfect condition and is sold with the original period frame, made of wood, with interior measurements of 50x61 cm. It will be shipped securely packed by an international company.