Exhibition Celebrates Dublin Gallery Creativity

It also includes work by the artist-tutors: Mick O'Dea and Donald Teskey (both members of Aosdána); Mary Avril Gillen; Sahoko Blake; James Hanley; Una Sealy; Felicity Clear and John Keating.

Raymond Keaveney, Director of the National Gallery, says: "In adult life, we become preoccupied with other pursuits and our love of drawing is neglected. This exhibition illustrates how it is possible to recover this dormant talent and, through good example and intelligent instruction, resurrect the ability to draw - and bring our artistic skills to new levels of achievement."

In the Drawing Studies course, students are introduced to the collection of old and modern masters, including works by Vermeer, Goya, Rubens, Picasso and Orpen, selected by the tutors to reflect particular techniques they wish to illustrate. Practical work includes sketching from sculptures, studying light and shade and gaining an insight into interiors, perspective and proportion.

Angela Moriarty, course participant says "I found the Gallery inspirational; drawing a Caravaggio with a contemporary artist providing support at my shoulder - I had to pinch myself."

"My drawing has improved immensely through becoming acquainted with the masterpieces in the Gallery's collection. I learnt about tonal values, composition and the use of colour, while studying how artists handle these and other elements has helped me to solve problems in my own work." says Patricia Kidd, course participant.

Student works on show include drawings from life such as A Study of A Girl in a Red Dress, by Sylvia Farrelly, and A Study of A Seated Girl, by Anne-Marie Mockler, mounted alongside an image of the painting that inspired the work; for example Vanessa Botalico's study of Louis le Brocquy's A Family, 1951; Aoife Goodman's interpretation of La Rose du Ciel, Cassis, 1913, inspired by Roderic O'Conor and Caitlín Ní Flaítheartaigh's version of Camille Pisarro's, Chrysanthemums in a Chinese Vase, 1873.

Also on display as part of the exhibition are drawings by the individual artists/tutors, including Silver and Gold, by James Hanley, RHA; Life Study, by Felicity Clear; Fragment, by John Keating and In the Life Room, Una Sealy. The exhibition will be on view through Spring 2008.-- www.nationalgallery.ie