Retrospective
Exhibition of Paintings
by Manus Walsh
July 12th - August 8th 2002
My Dad The Artist - By Ciara McGrath
Exhibition Notes by Tom Kenny
It is not easy to label Manus Walsh. He has worked in stained glass, enamel, oils, pastels, gouache, chalk, collage, graphics - whatever comes to hand it seems. His work has been described as cubist, abstract, impressionist, surreal, naturalistic, lowyresque, romantic, fantasy, etc., and his themes have been equally varied - landscapes, urban & industrial paintings, Burrenscapes, interiors, images of Spain, Valparaiso, Cuba, hurling, musicians etc.
Some of this variety is due to the fact the Manus has made a number of significant journeys in his life. He grew up in Dublin, travelled occasionally to Spain, moved with his family to Ballyvaughan, Co. Clare, visited Chile a number of times, cycled in Tuscany etc. His early mentor, an important influence, George Campbell encouraged him to experiment with a variety of media, and so his career has been characterized by an imaginative diversity of subject and technique, and ever present willingness to experiment with the new or re-visit the old ideas.
And yet there is something personal about his style that makes his work easily identifiable as that of Manus Walsh. His images are poetic, atmospheric, unpretentious, subtle. He has painted full time since his early twenties, and yet some of his recent paintings show that he is still influenced by his early career - they have the glow of stained glass. His wonderful colour sense was for a time subdued by the Burren. His exploration of that area produced a wonderful series of stratified landscapes, all horizontal lines, full of ghosts, still, calm, virtually devoid of colour, including some remarkable nocturnal views. Colour was again infused into his images by Valparaiso, a highly coloured cityscape full of vertical lines, people, movement and busy busy busy.
In putting together this exhibition, we hope to show some of the artistic achievement of Manus Walsh in his distinguished career - the jeweled colour of his stained glass; the shapes of industrial machinery and city streets that were part of his formative years; the relentless rocky nature of his Burren images; the graceful shapes and strong outlines of his Picassoesque musicians; the characteristic moonscapes; the hustle and bustle of the mountain top city, Valparaiso; peopled landscapes; calm cool interiors; the noonday heat of a Spanish village. Most importantly, we look forward to the promise of more to come.
Tom Kenny - on the occasion of Manus Walsh's Retrospective Exhibition at The Kenny Gallery in 2002
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