Some Greeks, Some Romans
The River Gods of Ireland, or Heads of the
Rivers, were commissioned by the famous
Architect, James Gandon (1743-1823). Gandon was a
prominent pupil of the great Sir William
Chambers, England's most reputable and
distinguished architect of the period, under whom
he learned and developed a Franco-Roman
Neo-Classical style.
Lord Carlow and Sir William Berisford, who became
his patron, invited Gandon to Ireland.
Gandon's first major work was the magnificent
Custom House in Dublin (1781-1791). Gandon
commissioned a virtually unknown stone mason,
Edward Smyth, to depict the principal rivers of
Ireland as part of the external design to the
Custom House. This type of design was once a
common architectural motif and generally
incorporated those elements closely associated
with the flow of the river in the crowns of the
stone heads. They were part of the make up of
bridges, at the apex, which spanned the rivers.
This series for the Custom House was completed in
1786, after which Smyth was to become Gandon's
principal Sculptor. He worked on other prominent
Gandon developments; including the Kings Inns,
The Four Courts, Parliament House, O'Connell
Bridge, The Rotunda Hospital and the great
mansion at Emo, Co. Laois.
Gandon's forte lay in his mastery of planning,
understanding of details and deployment of
materials.
The Greeko Romans heads or gargoyle's heads that
Gandon commissioned inspires my watercolors for
this Exhibition. They are rarely depicted in
color, as the originals are masonry grey. These
are all original watercolour paintings.
Individually painted to order if sold out. |
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"The River
Slaney 2000"
by Roger Cummiskey
WaterColor
Size: 14" X 10" 36 X 25 cms
Copyright 1999
Roger Cummiskey
All Rights Reserved
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From the series,
"Some Greeks
Some Romans,"
this celebrated image is
"The River
Slaney 2000"
Of this work, Roger says:
"Rivers
are our heritage,
Rivers are our Future.
Rivers have seen many Millenniums in and will see
many out.
The River Slaney, an Irish river, rises in the
Wicklow foothills under the northwest side of
Lugnaquilla and meanders parallel with the
coastline, through Baltinglass by its famous
ruined Abbey, through Bunclody and Enniscorty to
join the sea at Wexford Harbour. Many of the
famous battles associated with the 1798 Rising
took place on the banks of the Slaney. The river
mouth is also well known as a slops or bird
sanctuary of international appeal.
This is one of 255 paintings, from 51 countries,
which was chosen to represent Ireland in the
Worldwide Millennium Art Exhibition. HRH Prince
Charles agreed to be patron of this Exhibition
The event has made it to the Guinness Book of
Records as the world's largest ever art
competition. (20,000 entries from 51 countries)
26th August - official announcement of 12 winners
15th November 1999 Millennium Calendar officially
launched.
Exhibition dates confirmed.
The Mall Gallery, London 23 -26 Feb. 2000,
The World Trade Centre, Stockholm, 26 March- 2
April 2000.
Brussels and United Nations Building New York
dates to be confirmed. |
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