Paul Henry was not especially motivated by politics, nor was he directly involved in Ireland's struggle for independence; nevertheless, he is credited with helping to create a sense of Irish national identity through his paintings portraying the people and land of western Ireland. His somber tonal landscapes characterized by a sky heavy with cumulus clouds bearing down on a blue-gray mountain range and a golden foreground dotted with modest, white, thatch-roofed cottages became emblematic of rural Ireland. ... In addition to the contributions his own paintings made to the establishment of a national identity through art, Henry's involvement in organizing the Society of Dublin Painters in Ireland in 1920 and an exhibition of continental avant-garde artists secured him a place in the pantheon of Irish artists.

from Snay, The Donald and Marilyn Keough Collection of Irish Art (Notre Dame, 2019)