The Crawford Art Gallery

Square, red brick building with a sign out front that says "Crawford Art Gallery Cork" — Crawford Art Gallery, Cork

This post was originally published April 13, 2017.

One day, I was walking to the grocery store when out of the corner of my eye I saw a Greek statue. I thought "that can't be right" and backtracked to find myself face to face with several in a window. I wondered what statues like that were doing in Ireland then realized that they belonged to the art gallery. Since I like art and anything with free admission, I didn't need any extra convincing to give the gallery a visit.

White statue of a naked man struggling against snakes. Two naked children struggle to pull the snakes off.

The first room I walked in was filled with statues and friezes. I recognized the first one right away as Laocoon and His Sons. Laocoon was a Trojan priest who foresaw the trickery behind the Trojan Horse. He tried to warn everyone, but the gods were not having him interfere with fate, and Poseidon sent a serpent from the depths of the sea to attack him. Like most of the statues, it's not the original, but instead a plaster casting. I was pretty excited to have remembered the story though. Hurray for those three years of Latin class in High School!

White statue of a naked man holding a discus. — The “Landellotti” Discobolus

Other statues in the room ranged from Greek to Rome after the introduction of Christianity to statues sculpted by the Irish themselves.

White statue of a girl caressing a naked infant. — A Girl Caressing a Child

White statue of a naked boy with a dove perched on his extended hand. — Boy With Dove

Black statue of a woman in nun's garb, holding a naked baby. — Virgin of the Twilight

The Crawford at the Castle was a visiting exhibit that came from the national collection at Dublin Castle. It featured three centuries of Irish Art. The styles, mediums, and messages varied, but I'll share a few of my favorite pieces.

This piece is entitled "The Breadline, 1916" and it depicts the aftermath of the infamous event of Easter Rising, when the Irish rebelled against the British rule in favor of becoming an independent republic. According to the caption, the artist wanted to focus on the impact on the everyday people, rather than the soldiers.

Black statue of a girl. She has fallen on her butt and fabric has flown into her face. — Girl in a Bomb Blast

Picture of a large cliff with a white farmhouse beneath it. A man, child, and dog stand on a winding road. Another person lays partially outside of a tent in the corner. — After Patinir

This piece was one of my favorite pieces in the entire gallery. It's called "After Patinir" by John Halpin. It was named after the Flemish painter Joachim Patinir, who was famous for creating imaginary landscapes. The artist of this piece created a fantasy landscape by piecing together 20 different pictures of people in West Cork.

On the second floor of the gallery was a large collection of paintings with some as old as the 16th century.

An old woman stands, leaning on a cane, watching three young boys. — Time Flies

A man and old woman embrace in front of a large rock. On the other side of a rock are two men standing next to a row boat in the water. — Economic Pressure or a Bold Peasant Being Destroyed

Black, blue, and white watercolor painting of two figures. One watches the other from darkness. — Madeline, St Agnes Charmed Maid

This piece is entitled "Madeline, St Agnes Charmed Maid." It was done by my favorite artist in the gallery, Harry Clarke, who designed a room full of paintings for the windows of St Agnes Church. My favorite painting done by him though did not come out well on camera but can be seen on the gallery's facebook page here. It's called "Ages, long ago, these lovers fled away from the storm." It's a mouthful, I know, but it's equally enchanting.

Slightly abstract image of a man's face.

These two paintings were the last points of interest on my tour. They are the faces of Samuel Beckett and James Joyce by Louis le Brocquy. I appreciated that you needed to take a minute to recognize the faces in the canvas. I don't know what the artist is telling me with these pieces, but I received them well.

The Castles and Churches of Ireland

Blarney in Bloom