Speech at the Official Closing of the Maclise Art Society 2015 Annual Exhibition
Cork VEC School of Music, Thursday, 7th May 2015
Tá an-áthas orm a bheith anseo inniu chun críoch oifigiúil a chur le taispeántas bliantúil an Maclaise Art Society. Tá a fhios agam gur éirigh thar barr leis an taispeántas i mbliana, agus is meabhrú é de mhórshaibhreas chumas ealaíne atá ar fáil sa tír seo. Is mian liom comhghairdeas a dhéanamh leis na healaíontóirí a raibh baint acu leis an taispeántas agus leis an uile duine atá anseo inniu chun seasamh d'earnáil na n-ealaíon i gCorgaigh.
[I am delighted to be here today to formally close the Maclise Art Society annual exhibition. It has, I know, been a great success and is indeed a reminder of the great wealth of artistic talent that exists in this country. I would like to congratulate all of the artists involved and welcome all those who are here today to represent the arts sector in Cork.]
Occasions such as this remind us that much of the joy of creativity is based on what we share; of the memories, experiences and values which can at times unite us as a community and as a nation.
At the very heart of the Maclise Art Society lies, of course, a great desire to promote and encourage interest in the visual arts and provide opportunities for artists, professional and amateur, to exhibit and showcase their work.
The dedication of the society to Daniel Maclise, a distinguished son of Cork, ensures that the memory of one of the most celebrated Irish painters of the nineteenth century will not disappear from our national consciousness, and from the roll call of great creative talents who have played, and continue to play, a significant role in our national cultural heritage.
Like so many artists, Maclise’s creative ability was often driven by an instinct to record significant historical events and to pass on a reflection of such events and atmospheres to future generations. His work enriches our world, not only in an aesthetic sense through the skills with which he achieves for us beauty in his paintings, but through the power of his creations to assist us in understanding our world and the exercise of power in that world. We are invited too to make an imaginative leap in our consciousness from the past into the future.
A singular moment during my state visit to the United Kingdom last year, was addressing the Houses of Parliament in the Palace of Westminster and seeing Daniel Maclise’s imposing canvasses of the Battles of Trafalgar and Waterloo hanging on the walls of that famous and distinguished place. It reminds us of how it was, indeed, in England that Maclise found true recognition for his genius; for the incandescent colour which added such brilliance to his paintings; and for the sense of history and legacy that lay at the heart of his work.
Like so many talented Irish artists Maclise was a voluntary exile in another city. Spending most of his working life in London he became, not only the leading painter of British history of his period, but also an integral part of that city’s artistic life, in particular through his friendships with writers such as Thackeray and, of course, Charles Dickens, who paid tribute after Maclise’s death to his ‘fertility of mind and wonderful wealth of intellect’. Today, it is uplifting to know that the innovative and creative space that is the Maclise Art Society has been named in honour of this inspiring painter.
There can be equally no doubt that the exhibition we celebrate here does justice to the legacy and memory of its namesake. I have been greatly impressed by what I have seen here today.
May I conclude by thanking you all, once again, for welcoming me here today. I congratulate all those who have given so generously of their creative talent and come together in this great pooling of imagination to create a sense of collaboration and generosity that must always permeate any truly dynamic community.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.
