Morgan O'Driscoll Irish & International Art Auction 12th November 2018

I rish & I nternational A rt M onday 12 th N ovember 2018 at 6.00 pm 97 81 Basil Blackshaw HRHA RUA (1932-2016) Trees at Cogry, Co Antrim signed lower right and titled on reverse oil on canvas 51 x 61cm (20 x 24in) Provenance: Eastwood Gallery, Belfast; Private Collection €8,000-€12,000 (£7,142-£10,714) Basil Blackshaw was born in Glengormley, Co. Antrim in 1932 and died in May 2016. He was educated in Belfast and graduated from the Belfast College of Art in 1951. Blackshaw’s work remained dedicated to very Irish and often rural themes, gaining him the title ‘poet of the rural’. The artist found inspiration in the environment around him and his art is reminiscent of his upbringing; of breeding dogs, cock-fighting and of his father’s work as a horse trainer. In addition, he is also known for his nudes, portraits and landscapes. Blackshaw is recognised for his traditional approach to painting, though combined with his signature loose gestural application of paint and a very distinctive and subtle use of colour, the finished piece is often considered to be abstract. Blackshaw has said that he aims to convey a ‘feeling’ through his art by using the subject matter to evoke a sensation in the viewer. In 1977 Blackshaw was elected as an associate of the Royal Ulster Academy of the Arts and in 1981 was elected an Academician. Black- shaw received the Glen Dimplex Award for a Sustained Contribution to the Visual Arts in Ireland in 2001.