Grade 12 Painting Study - "The Liffey Swim"
"The Liffey Swim", painted by Jack Butler Yeats (Willy's slightly less famous brother), captures a scene in Dublin, Ireland, in 1923. The event itself is an annual event that began in 1920 and runs to this day, though nowadays the Dublin Fire Brigade is there to decontaminate the participants after their swim.
Here are some of the details from our conversation about this painting:
- it is interesting to imagine how this event, then dubbed "the biggest free spectacle of the year", might have served to bring people together at a very difficult time in Dublin's history. The competitors might have come from all walks of life and backgrounds.
- Yates is said to have painted himself into the composition, seen in the brown fedora next to what might have been his wife Cottie in the yellow hat.
- the position of the audience, leaning heavily toward the swimmers, draws the viewers attention into the race.
- students of art may notice that the use of perspective is not necessarily perfect, allowing more of the race to unfold before your eyes.
What many people do not realize that art, specifically art that captures "Sport", was once an event in the Olympics. From 1912 to 1948, Olympic medals were awarded to artists who competed on behalf of their country. Yeats won a silver medal for this piece for Ireland in 1924!
As a parting note, take a moment to survey the brushstrokes used by Yeats in this painting...
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