Paul Henry (Born in Belfast 1876, died 1958) was an Irish artist who painted the west of Ireland landscape with a spare post-impressionist style.
The son of a Baptist minister, Paul Henry studied art in Belfast before going to Paris in 1898 to study at the Academie Julian and at Whistler's studio. He married the painter Grace Henry in 1903 and returned to Ireland in 1910. From then, until 1919, he lived on Achill Island and learned to capture the peculiar interplay of light and landscape specific to Connemara. In 1919 he moved to Dublin and in 1920 was one of the founders of the Society of Dublin Painters . He separated from his wife in 1929.
In the 1920s and 30s Paul Henry was Ireland's best known artist, one who had a considerable influence on the popular image of the west of Ireland (Keaveney 2002). Although he seems to have ceased experimenting with his technique after he left Achill and his range is limited, he created a large body of fine images whose familarity is a testiment to its influence. The National Gallery of Ireland held a major exhibition of his work in 2004.
Work in Collections
- The Crawford Gallery, Cork, including:
- Musée du Luxembourg
- The National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin
- The Ulster Museum, Dublin
External links and references
Last updated: 05-29-2005 05:56:15
