Morgan O'Driscoll Irish & International Art Auction 29th April 2019

I rish & I nternational A rt M onday 29 th A pril 2019 at 6.00 pm 13 5 Liam Belton RHA (b.1947) Pewter, Nude and Bottles (2018) signed lower left, titled and dated 2018 verso oil on canvas 43.25 x 56cm (17 x 22in) Provenance: Peppercanister Gallery, Dublin where purchased by the present owner In Liam Belton’s still life paintings, there is often a dialogue between the nude figure (usually a depiction within the painting, an image within an image, rather than a figure per se) and an arrangement of inanimate objects. His high precision, almost austere realism provides a factual record of things, but the image is layered with implications. Here, the smooth, taut, tactile quality of skin and musculature, and the body’s curves, are evoked in the eggs and pewter pot in the foreground, while the phallic candlestick surely suggests the male gaze. €4,000-€6,000 ($4,494-$6,741) (£3,389-£5,084)