Auction Date:2012 May 21 @ 18:00 (UTC+1)
Location:Serpentine Hall, RDS, Anglesea Road entrance, Dublin, Dublin, ., Ireland
Seán Keating-PAST DEFINITE, FUTURE PERFECT, 1928
oil on canvassigned lower right; inscribed [A.M.D.G.] lower left; inscribed with title, artist's name [John Keating], address [Killakee, Rathfarnham, Dublin, Ireland] and price [£100] on label on reverse; also with framing label of the Bregazzi & Sons [10 Merrion Row, Dublin] on reverse
25 by 30in., 63.5 by 76.2cm.
Orientation of Image: L
Provenance: Royal Academy, London;
Where purchased by the previous owner
Exhibited: Royal Academy, London,1928
Literature:
Notes: Well-known for his use of allegory as a method by which to reflect on political issues in Irish society, and evident in images such as An Allegory (1924) and Night's Candles are Burnt Out (1929), Seán Keating was equally well-capable of utilising those skills to focus attention on the greater significance of the simple things in life.
The older woman in Past Definite, Future Perfectis reading the cards. She holds the five of hearts and points to another card from the same suit lying on the table. Her young companion watches attentively, her hands clasped to one side so that she can see everything of the procedure. Both women are focused on the cards, but entirely absorbed in their own thoughts. At first glance, the picture presents a quiet moment between, perhaps, a mother and daughter. The only movement is in the old woman's gnarled hands and in the swirl of light and dark tones in the background. Yet the imagery and the artist's title suggest that this is more than a simple depiction of a fortune-telling session. The painting abounds with symbolism: old age presented as the past, beside youth as representative of the future. The manner in which the old woman concentrates on the suit of hearts suggests that she is thinking about her own past loves. The young woman, perhaps unaware that nothing is perfect, may be hoping for a definite answer about love in the future. The overarching message is that the gaiety and hope of youth leads inexorably towards the wisdom and experience of old age.
Keating painted Past Definite, Future Perfect in 1928, having recently completed his series of paintings of the 'Shannon Scheme' at Ardnacrusha. The association between this work and the 'Shannon Scheme' might first appear incongruous; but physically and metaphorically, the project gave the artist hope for the future, and made him focus on the importance of older people in newly modernized Ireland. The theme appears to have been very much on his mind in 1928, a year in which he painted several images of old age including The Turf Buyer, Old Kitty and Good Old Stuff. Added to this, his mother Annie (née Hannan), had been suffering from an unspecified illness for a long number of years; she was nearing the end of her life in 1928. Keating credited his mother for having the foresight to send him to art school in Limerick many years previously. While this is not a portrait of Annie, it is a homage painting made in deference to women and to the wisdom of old age.
Past Definite, Future Perfect was not a commission; Keating made it for public exhibition. The lettering to the bottom left of the image 'AMDG' appears to represent the Jesuit motto 'for the greater glory of God.' In other words, no matter what the cards supposedly say, life will be as it will be. On a more pragmatic note: the artist was in the habit of collecting disused frames; it may be that this unusual example came from a Jesuit house.
Past Definite, Future Perfect was shown, along with Good Old Stuff, in the Royal Academy in London in 1928. A reviewer commented at the time on the 'marvellous' portrait of the old woman which had the 'conviction of a great old age.' It was purchased from the exhibition for a private collection at the time and has not been publicly exhibited since. When Keating was nearing the end of his own life he returned yet again to the themes in this work. He exhibited a watercolour with the same title, but painted in 1971, in the RHA that same year.
Dr Éimear O'Connor HRHA
Research Associate
TRIARC-Irish Art Research Centre
Trinity College Dublin
April 2012
Auction Location:
Serpentine Hall, RDS, Anglesea Road entrance, Dublin, Dublin, ., Ireland
Previewing Details:
on view 19-21 May, Serpentine Hall, RDS
Buyer's Premiums:
| From (Incl.) | To (Excl.) | Premium |
| 0.00 |
Infinite |
20% |
Additional Fees:
Shipping Details:
No Info Available
Payment Details:
No Info Available
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