Picto Diary - 28 September 2019 - Sorolla

Above: "Sewing the Sail." Joaquin Sorolla. National Gallery of Ireland. Dublin. 28 September 2019.

Fantastic Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida Exhibit.

Great paintings of his children and outdoor scenes in and around Valencia, Sorolla's home town.

Here "Sewing the Sail."

Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida (27 February 1863 – 10 August 1923) was a Spanish painter. Sorolla excelled in the painting of portraits, landscapes and monumental works of social and historical themes. His most typical works are characterized by a dexterous representation of the people and landscape under the bright sunlight of his native land and sunlit water. — attending Pop-up Talk: Sorolla's Parks, Gardens & Landscapes with Margaret Taylor at National Gallery of Ireland

Above: "A Group of Cavalry in the Snow." Ernest Meissonier. National Gallery of Ireland. Dublin. 28 September 2019.

Outside of the fabulous Sorolla exhibit, here was my favorite at The National Gallery of Ireland:

"A Group of Cavalry in the Snow" by Meissonier.

Napoleon generals Moreau and Dessoles overlook Hohenlinden before mounting an attack on the Austrians in 1814.

Oil. Painted in 1875.

Jean-Louis Ernest Meissonier 21 February 1815 – 31 January 1891) was a French Classicist painter and sculptor famous for his depictions of Napoleon, his armies and military themes. He documented sieges and manoeuvers and was the teacher of Édouard Detaille.

National Gallery of Ireland has very ample collection of French impressionists, English and Irish artists. — with Margaret Taylor at National Gallery of Ireland.

Above: "Mass in a Connemara Cabin." Aloysius O'Kelly. National Gallery of Ireland. Dublin. 28 September 2019.

Aloysius O'Kelly (3 July 1853 in Dublin – 12 January 1936) was an Irish painter.

My favorite Irish painting in this fabulous gallery.

With the ascendency of Protestant King James VI to the English and Irish thrones in 1603, laws circumscribing the activities of Catholics in Ireland became more restrictive.

Among others, Catholics had to pay fines for non-attendance at Protestant services. Catholic services, however, were tacitly tolerated as long as they were held in private.

This poignant painting of persecuted, pious, parishioners is a vivid reminder of the lengths to which people will go to persecute and exclude on the one hand, and to sacrifice and endure for principles on the other.

The priest is young, yet the people respect his authority as an agent of the heavens...even in the confines of a cozy, Connemara cabin.

Perhaps this young priest eventually immigrated to the US along with thousands of Irishmen during the potato famine. Irish provenance priests were de rigueur in American Catholic congregations throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.

As religious devotion wanes in the US and Ireland, local priests, not to mention Irish priests are in short supply. The American Catholic Church has begun to source priests from areas where Catholicism is vibrant...Africa for example.

But, I digress. I love this painting. — with Margaret Taylor at National Gallery of Ireland.

Addendum:

You will want to read Diana Gabaldon's entire Outlander series now that you have visited many of the places and learned more history. Although well done, the Starz version is a very brief summary. Even for you, Steve, some of the 900 page books would take you some time.

Academy Theater,
Salt Lake City, UT

Another sunny day in Scotland 👻 just finished watching a movie about Mary, She made several very poor choices of gentlemen just couldn’t get “Ahead” of the game of life. Hope you’re enjoying several different taste of 🥃- Enjoy

Markco,
Somewhere in Scotland (Oxnard, CA)

You forgot to mention the single most important impediment to Brexit: Ireland, the Good Friday Agreement, and the Irish Border! And the fact that the Good Friday Agreement is a Peace Agreement, just as the European Union is, likewise, a Peace Agreement. And, to clarify further, the United Kingdom has not existed since 1921 when they lost most of Ireland (26 out of the 32 counties) so it is only Great Britain and the 6 counties of Northern Ireland. Without those remaining 6 counties there would be no United Kingdom. Demographics in Northern Ireland are changing and a resultant border pole (guaranteed under the Good Friday agreement) will inevitably lead to the UK's loss of those 6 counties. Which leaves the UK with three remaining countries: England, Scotland, and Wales. And Scotland will surely seek a other independence referendum. Besides Scotland and Northern Ireland both voted to remain in the European Union.

James Joyce
Connemara, Ireland

You are right. I should have mentioned it explicitly like you point out. I didn't ignore the point, though.... voire the final sentence in my update: " Cummon... he can figure out the Irish border, what?" True... that's short shrift. A week or so ago, before Boris went to New York, he and Junker met in Brussels (?). The upshot of that meeting was that Junker did not reject out of hand some simple (make-shift) recommendations Boris had about the Irish border. To presume the Good Friday agreement is no longer an issue is too bold, but, then, it may not be as much of an impediment to a "hard Brexit" as you imply.

So, in addition to the English language, we have inherited political disorder from the British?

Ahn Rhee,
Larkspur, CA

Great report. Many thanks!

Daggett Pol
Park City, UT