1989-1990, Répétition, Oil on canvas, 137cm x 152cm
September’s painting of the month is Répétition. This painting was used on the card for Ian’s solo exhibition at 55 Mercer Gallery in New York City in 1997. He started this painting while living in the Berkshires when he first relocated to United States while he was doing some set designs for the Berkshire Public Theatre. He completed the painting while living in New York City where the painting currently resides.
Ian Darragh’s images of “Figure at a Window” is being used on the bookcover of Richard Burgin’s upcoming novel “River’s Last Longer” which is available in September. Richard Burgin is the author of twelve books and six story collections. Burgin’s nonfiction books include “Conversations with Jorge Luis Borges” and “Conversations with Isaac Bashevis Singer”. Burgin felt that Darragh’s image was a perfect fit for the cover of his upcoming novel. This painting also was described by Neil Collins at Visual Arts-Cork as having shades of Edward Hopper.
Cover by Ian Darragh
This months featured painting is entitled “Calling” from 1985. “Calling” was Ian’s rendering of a Caravaggio painting. This was the painting where the name Sinister Men Series came about from Nick Treadwells description of the men looking sinister. Nick Treadwell was Ian’s UK based art dealer in the 1980’s.
1985, Calling, Acrylic on canvas, 96cm x 112cm
This months featured painting is entitled “Horse and Groom”. The owner of this painting came across the website via Wotartist while updating her profile/gallery on that site and contacted Ian’s website with new information about the painting including the correct date as 1985 and the correct dimensions as 96cm x 85cm. Both the gallery and archive have now been updated with these new details. The painting was given to the owner as a 40th birthday gift and was purchased from The Nicholas Treadwell Gallery around 1991. The painting resides in London in the owners personal collection.
1985, Horse and Groom, Acrylic on canvas, 96cm x 85cm
This month’s featured painting is a new painting added to the archive this month that is in the collection of Nick Treadwell (Ian’s former London art dealer) who currently resides in Austria. Please visit his new website Treadwell Gallery whereby he has his complete collection of art online including his collection of Ian’s work.
1985, Female portrait, Acrylic on canvas, 40cm x 30cm
This month’s featured painting is entitled ”The Visit”. The owners of this painting contacted the website less than a week after it was launched in November 2008. They had bought the painting in New York City in 1986 at an art fair from Nick Treadwell long before Ian ever lived in New York City. Oddly enough, they lived about 30 blocks away from Ian yet neither knew of each other.
Another odd fact about this painting is that an old girlfriend of Ian’s recognized the chair in it as belonging to her grandmother and forwarded me a photo Ian had taken of her in that same chair!
The Visit, 1985, Acrylic on canvas, 152cm x 152cm
This section is now going to feature one of Ian’s paintings each month besides other noteworthy news regarding Ian and his work. Each month an image of a painting will be chosen from either unknown ones that surface or from those currently residing in the archive. This would be a good time to stress if you own work of Ian’s, to please submit it to this website. The general idea is to have all his work gathered in one place on the internet and where better than his memorial website where over 1600 are already listed! Please see the Contact section of the website for instructions on submitting images.
This month’s image is one of my favorite painting of Ian’s from the early 1990’s entitled “Visionary Horse and Groom”. I am featuring this as the first in this series as the owners of the painting contacted the website last week! The painting resides in Belfast, Northern Ireland where it was sold in the late 1990’s. It was featured on a opening exhibition card and was one of Ian’s favorites. This painting was also on Ian’s memorial card and was chosen because of its ethereal quality and seemed very appropriate.
Visionary Horse and Groom, 1991, Oil on canvas,