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Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) WASHING DAY s

Currency:EUR Category:Everything Else / Other Start Price:NA Estimated At:35,000.00 - 45,000.00 EUR
Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) WASHING DAY s
Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) WASHING DAY signed lower left; inscribed on reverse oil on board 46 by 61cm., 18 by 24in. Provenance: John Magee Ltd, Belfast; Private collection Painted circa 1947, when Dillon first visited Italy at the invitation of his friend, Pino Saglietti. Saglietti’s family were from Borgotaro in northern Italy, and Dillon immediately felt at home in the small mountain community. He responded to the natural warmth of family and communal gatherings, and to the mountainous landscape of northern Italy. “Borgotaro is not Italy”, he declared, “it’s Ireland up the hills” (see James White, Gerard Dillon, Wolfhound Press, 1994, page 58). He produced a number of large works as a result of his Italian sojourn, including Memory Pool (formerly in the GPA collection), featuring an Italian woman halted in reverie with a harvest scene beyond, and Italian Washer Women, which showed two stout women gossiping whilst doing their laundry at the village fountain. Washing Day fits well within this series and is typical more widely of Dillon’s ability to see the world around him with a child-like naivety and delight.