Brian Maguire
08 Apr - 14 May 2011
© Brian Maguire
Apartment House Quai de Seine Paris, 2010
acrylic on canvas
81 x 116 cm, 31.9 x 45.7 in
Apartment House Quai de Seine Paris, 2010
acrylic on canvas
81 x 116 cm, 31.9 x 45.7 in
BRIAN MAGUIRE
New Paintings
08 Apr - 14 May 2011
Through a reading of history and economics Maguire finds entry points that ask us to look again on what constitutes public endeavour. Since leaving his position as Head of Fine Art at the National College of Art and Design, Dublin early last year, Maguire has spent time developing work in Europe and Central America, and this is borne out by the broadening themes emerging through this new body of work.
Whilst Maguire continues to deal with the persistent inequalities inherent in societies across the globe two elements characterise and define this exhibition. Firstly and, ironically, given the subject matter, the paintings per se display a level of qualities and skill that seduce the viewer and make them impossible to resist. Despite and because of the underlying reality issuing from his work, paintings such as ‘Heart of a Heartless World’ and ‘Contemporary Ruin (Dublin)’ present a powerful and painterly tour de force.
Secondly, these works for all of their confronting honesty reveal a shift from the overtly human to a humanist sensibility, which at its core prevents them from being read didactically. In paintings such as ‘Apartment Block, Quai de Seine’ and ‘Turin Railway Junction’, history and social democracy are called upon to provide testament to the social and economic decisions that improved the quality of life of citizens, ultimately reminding us that we are the makers of our own world.
New Paintings
08 Apr - 14 May 2011
Through a reading of history and economics Maguire finds entry points that ask us to look again on what constitutes public endeavour. Since leaving his position as Head of Fine Art at the National College of Art and Design, Dublin early last year, Maguire has spent time developing work in Europe and Central America, and this is borne out by the broadening themes emerging through this new body of work.
Whilst Maguire continues to deal with the persistent inequalities inherent in societies across the globe two elements characterise and define this exhibition. Firstly and, ironically, given the subject matter, the paintings per se display a level of qualities and skill that seduce the viewer and make them impossible to resist. Despite and because of the underlying reality issuing from his work, paintings such as ‘Heart of a Heartless World’ and ‘Contemporary Ruin (Dublin)’ present a powerful and painterly tour de force.
Secondly, these works for all of their confronting honesty reveal a shift from the overtly human to a humanist sensibility, which at its core prevents them from being read didactically. In paintings such as ‘Apartment Block, Quai de Seine’ and ‘Turin Railway Junction’, history and social democracy are called upon to provide testament to the social and economic decisions that improved the quality of life of citizens, ultimately reminding us that we are the makers of our own world.