Marble
University of Notre Dame
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Young Claudius

Date

1942

Creator

Mary Swanzy

Location

Raclin Murphy Museum of Art

Heralded as a pioneering Modern artist in Ireland, Mary Swanzy was instrumental in transmitting avant-garde artistic trends to her native country in real time...The example of her painting here shows her working in a combination of symbolist and surrealist styles. The war years were especially productive for her, if dark. She lived in London during the air raids and returned to Dublin in 1942 to escape the bombing...Curiously, the artist has given Claudius two left hands--one holds a bunch of flowers, possibly roses, to his chest, while the other reaches behind the vase to grasp some folds of drapery. The intense palette with glowing reds, oranges, yellows, and greens and the exotic environment evoke some of Paul Gauguin's Tahitian paintings and especially Odilon Redon's portraits of Violette Heymann...Swanzy was adept at synthesizing avant-garde trends. from Snay, The Donald and Marilyn Keough Collection of Irish Art (Notre Dame, 2019)

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Heralded as a pioneering Modern artist in Ireland, Mary Swanzy was instrumental in transmitting avant-garde artistic trends to her native country in real time...The example of her painting here shows her working in a combination of symbolist and surrealist styles. The war years were especially productive for her, if dark. She lived in London during the air raids and returned to Dublin in 1942 to escape the bombing...Curiously, the artist has given Claudius two left hands--one holds a bunch of flowers, possibly roses, to his chest, while the other reaches behind the vase to grasp some folds of drapery. The intense palette with glowing reds, oranges, yellows, and greens and the exotic environment evoke some of Paul Gauguin's Tahitian paintings and especially Odilon Redon's portraits of Violette Heymann...Swanzy was adept at synthesizing avant-garde trends. from Snay, The Donald and Marilyn Keough Collection of Irish Art (Notre Dame, 2019)
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  • Heralded as a pioneering Modern artist in Ireland, Mary Swanzy was instrumental in transmitting avant-garde artistic trends to her native country in real time...The example of her painting here shows her working in a combination of symbolist and surrealist styles. The war years were especially productive for her, if dark. She lived in London during the air raids and returned to Dublin in 1942 to escape the bombing...Curiously, the artist has given Claudius two left hands--one holds a bunch of flowers, possibly roses, to his chest, while the other reaches behind the vase to grasp some folds of drapery. The intense palette with glowing reds, oranges, yellows, and greens and the exotic environment evoke some of Paul Gauguin's Tahitian paintings and especially Odilon Redon's portraits of Violette Heymann...Swanzy was adept at synthesizing avant-garde trends. from Snay, The Donald and Marilyn Keough Collection of Irish Art (Notre Dame, 2019)
  • Heralded as a pioneering Modern artist in Ireland, Mary Swanzy was instrumental in transmitting avant-garde artistic trends to her native country in real time...The example of her painting here shows her working in a combination of symbolist and surrealist styles. The war years were especially productive for her, if dark. She lived in London during the air raids and returned to Dublin in 1942 to escape the bombing...Curiously, the artist has given Claudius two left hands--one holds a bunch of flowers, possibly roses, to his chest, while the other reaches behind the vase to grasp some folds of drapery. The intense palette with glowing reds, oranges, yellows, and greens and the exotic environment evoke some of Paul Gauguin's Tahitian paintings and especially Odilon Redon's portraits of Violette Heymann...Swanzy was adept at synthesizing avant-garde trends. from Snay, The Donald and Marilyn Keough Collection of Irish Art (Notre Dame, 2019)
  • Heralded as a pioneering Modern artist in Ireland, Mary Swanzy was instrumental in transmitting avant-garde artistic trends to her native country in real time...The example of her painting here shows her working in a combination of symbolist and surrealist styles. The war years were especially productive for her, if dark. She lived in London during the air raids and returned to Dublin in 1942 to escape the bombing...Curiously, the artist has given Claudius two left hands--one holds a bunch of flowers, possibly roses, to his chest, while the other reaches behind the vase to grasp some folds of drapery. The intense palette with glowing reds, oranges, yellows, and greens and the exotic environment evoke some of Paul Gauguin's Tahitian paintings and especially Odilon Redon's portraits of Violette Heymann...Swanzy was adept at synthesizing avant-garde trends. from Snay, The Donald and Marilyn Keough Collection of Irish Art (Notre Dame, 2019)
  • Heralded as a pioneering Modern artist in Ireland, Mary Swanzy was instrumental in transmitting avant-garde artistic trends to her native country in real time...The example of her painting here shows her working in a combination of symbolist and surrealist styles. The war years were especially productive for her, if dark. She lived in London during the air raids and returned to Dublin in 1942 to escape the bombing...Curiously, the artist has given Claudius two left hands--one holds a bunch of flowers, possibly roses, to his chest, while the other reaches behind the vase to grasp some folds of drapery. The intense palette with glowing reds, oranges, yellows, and greens and the exotic environment evoke some of Paul Gauguin's Tahitian paintings and especially Odilon Redon's portraits of Violette Heymann...Swanzy was adept at synthesizing avant-garde trends. from Snay, The Donald and Marilyn Keough Collection of Irish Art (Notre Dame, 2019)
Mary Swanzy (Irish, 1882 - 1978)
1942
Paintings
Oil on canvas
2019.001.002
figures
flowers
halos
Irish
male
mythology
still lifes
Surrealist
symbolism
© The Artist’s Estate
Raclin Murphy Museum: B01A
20 1/4 x 24 1/4 in. (51.44 x 61.6 cm)
Gift of the Donald and Marilyn Keough Foundation

Our collection information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. If you have spotted an error, please contact Raclin Murphy Museum of Art at RMMACollections@nd.edu.