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The Rediscovery Of Ireland's Past: The Celtic Revival, 1830-1930
The search for an Irish identity in the visual arts has been long and fervent. The early antiquarians, led by Petrie, rediscovered ancient ruins, Celtic crosses, and such treasures as the Tara Brooch and the Book of Kells; the men of the Young Ireland movement sought Irish self-determination: together, they aimed to restore Ireland's self-respect by drawing attention to her great cultural achievements of the past. Artists and craftsmen depicted antiquities and reproduced them in stone and metal. Painters such as Maclise and Burton chose subjects from the country's history, mythology and folk life.
At the turn of the century, a different approach was taken by the collector Hugh Lane, friend of Yeats, Synge and Lady Gregory, who hoped that the inspiring presence in Dublin of his collection of modern Irish and French pictures would lead to the emergence of a genuine Irish School. Finally, parallel to the literary revival led by Synge and Yeats, came the Celtic Revival in the arts and crafts, a great flowering of metalwork, textiles, architecture, and book design. At last external influences - the political, literary and language movements - coincided with talented artists who looked at the past and expressed the feeling of the times in what they made. The result was a true Irish Renaissance in art.
The products of this search for an Irish culture, many of them illustrated here for the first time, are striking in themselves; and the story of the quest, intimately linked with Ireland's political and cultural aspirations, adds a fascinating chapter to the history of the rise of a sense of national character.
At the turn of the century, a different approach was taken by the collector Hugh Lane, friend of Yeats, Synge and Lady Gregory, who hoped that the inspiring presence in Dublin of his collection of modern Irish and French pictures would lead to the emergence of a genuine Irish School. Finally, parallel to the literary revival led by Synge and Yeats, came the Celtic Revival in the arts and crafts, a great flowering of metalwork, textiles, architecture, and book design. At last external influences - the political, literary and language movements - coincided with talented artists who looked at the past and expressed the feeling of the times in what they made. The result was a true Irish Renaissance in art.
The products of this search for an Irish culture, many of them illustrated here for the first time, are striking in themselves; and the story of the quest, intimately linked with Ireland's political and cultural aspirations, adds a fascinating chapter to the history of the rise of a sense of national character.
- GenresHistoryArtNonfiction
208 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1980
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 12, 2012
As a force fueling the development of an Irish national identity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Celtic Revival proved an important movement in modern Irish history. Yet with such luminaries as William Butler Yeats and J. M. Synge among its leading figures, the literary expression of the movement has overshadowed its other elements. In this book, art historian Jeanne Sheehy seeks to provide a more complete understanding of the Revival by examining its impact on the visual arts of the era.
Sheehy begins by tracing the origins of the movement to the developing interest in history throughout Europe in the early nineteenth century, particularly in medieval history. This fueled the first significant study of Irish antiquities, particularly those of the Celtic and early Christian (pre-English) eras. These discoveries generated a growing respect for Ireland’s cultural heritage, one neglected by elites in recent centuries who sought to identify themselves more closely to English culture. Now Irish emblems such as the shamrock and the harp became symbols of Irish pride, and were seized upon by activists such as those in the Young Ireland movement as badges of identity.
Sheehy chronicles this development with a sure command of the artistic developments of the era. She notes the reflection of the movement in the painting, sculpture, and architecture of the era, demonstrating how the Revival was reflected in nearly every field of artistry. Though she concludes that a distinctively Irish style failed to develop from the Revival, she nonetheless identifies several threads of development that demonstrate the importance of the Revival to Irish art from the era. Thoroughly researched, generously illustrated, and well-written, this is a valuable study of its subject, one that offers an added dimension to studying the interaction between culture and nationalism in modern Irish history.
Sheehy begins by tracing the origins of the movement to the developing interest in history throughout Europe in the early nineteenth century, particularly in medieval history. This fueled the first significant study of Irish antiquities, particularly those of the Celtic and early Christian (pre-English) eras. These discoveries generated a growing respect for Ireland’s cultural heritage, one neglected by elites in recent centuries who sought to identify themselves more closely to English culture. Now Irish emblems such as the shamrock and the harp became symbols of Irish pride, and were seized upon by activists such as those in the Young Ireland movement as badges of identity.
Sheehy chronicles this development with a sure command of the artistic developments of the era. She notes the reflection of the movement in the painting, sculpture, and architecture of the era, demonstrating how the Revival was reflected in nearly every field of artistry. Though she concludes that a distinctively Irish style failed to develop from the Revival, she nonetheless identifies several threads of development that demonstrate the importance of the Revival to Irish art from the era. Thoroughly researched, generously illustrated, and well-written, this is a valuable study of its subject, one that offers an added dimension to studying the interaction between culture and nationalism in modern Irish history.
January 17, 2010
19th-century Irish culture was "marked by a growing sense of national identity, embracing the whole population, and linked to the Celtic past." Especially after 1829, there was a general European increase in interest in history, especially medieval. In Ireland this was important as a source of identity to counter English portrayals of ignorant, boorish "Paddy", previously the standard image of the Irishman.
September 14, 2018
Interesting info but a tough read.
can-read-a-bit-at-a-time
February 3, 2008You'll find knotwork on the floors and in embroideries at the Celtic Revival Honan Chapel at City University, Cork. 1916. http://images.google.com/imgres?imgur...
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews