'Le Grand Illusion' le Brian Maguire i nDánlann Hugh Lane

Mar fhinné a chleachtann Brian Maguire a shaothar, finné ar chogaidh, ar theithe imircigh, ar éagóracha an tsaoil ortha siúd gan cumhacht agus na fórsaí móra a imríonn na n-éagóir céanna.

I first encountered Brian Maguire and his work at an artist talk he gave when I was in art college in the late 1990s. He had just recently returned from Sao Paulo Art Biennale (representing Ireland), where he was working with the local communities of the favellas outside of the institution of the Biennale.

Bhí sé ag péinteáil portráidí - dhá leagan - ceann don Biennale laistigh den institiúid agus ceann do thigh an duine féin. Ní go ró-mhór ar thaithin na pictiúir portráidí seo liom.

As a young art student – the style to me seemed quite naïve or crude. But what I did understand was the immediacy and the very powerful act of painting the likeness of another.

An artist using traditional tools, materials and means at hand, recording the individual, the human, the personal story – a story that may not otherwise be told and bringing it into the heart of the institution/museum. The role of the artist as bearing witness.

Cuireann Brian Maguire aithne ar an scéal ar leith sula rianann nó a phéinteálann sé an scéal. Leabaíonn nó imeascann sé é féin laistigh de phobail imeallaithe. Ar nós grianghrafadóir cogaidh, beagnach. Ach an aithne sin ar an scéal uathúil pearsanta sin leis an macró a léiriú - tionchar mór-fórsaí na cumhachta, geopholaitíochta agus na staire.

With his current exhibition 'La Grande Illusion' at the Hugh Lane Gallery we see large scale paintings referencing all genres in the canon of art history - portrait, landscape, war, classical sculpture, still life to grand narrative history painting.

The exhibition is curated through a series of galleries in the Hugh Lane exploring the horrors of war, refugee and migrant crises, environmental destruction, drug cartels entwined with global industry.

Tá na pictiúir féin ar mhórscála léirsitheach - mar bhreathnóir, tumtar isteach tú i muir phéint agus obair scuaibe le saothar ar nós 'Over Our Heads The Hollow Seas Closed Up'. Mar an gcéanna leis an creatlach léirithe in Arizona I.

Scála an fhigiúra leis an dtalamh - beatha amháin anaithnid caillte, aistear imircigh aonair, loiscthe sa bhfásach. Gan ach an fhigiúir amháin mar ionadaí ar na mílte beatha imirceacha a chailltear gach bliain.

Death laid bare before us through painting. To the bombed out streetscape of 'Aleppo 4'. We are on the street. Painted rubble. Burnt out facades. People displaced in a new community of refugees.

Scenes which we receive on live feed from current wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Ukraine – but here we cannot scroll, we are confronted with the scene in painted marks, and skeins of paint.

Tá eacnamaíocht modh sna pictiúir seo. Is leor beagán stróic scuaibe agus sile péinte le cabhail chasta a léiriú sa phictiúir scanrúil 'Massacre (Nuevo Laredo)'.

Fiú an mion-phictiúir 'The People Palace' - soiléireann deasláimhe an phéint agus an obair scuaibe aclaí bratacha uaigneacha mar ómós ar theip an AE, crochta go hard i nGailearaí 1, le feiscint tré na colúin agus struchtúir na hinstitiúide.

Michael O’Flaherty, EU Commissioner for Human Rights, in his brilliant presentation at the exhibition - 'The Artist as Defender of Human Rights', spoke of the artist as having the courage to tell the truth, as the truth seeker, upholder of dignity and guardian of hope.

Labhair Brian faoi na milliún duine atá ar domhain, leath acu agus gutháin póca acu, agus dá bharr na míle milliúin íomhánna atá amuigh ann ach nach bhfuil na scéalta acu siúd á insint go fóill? Feictear dó gurb é ról an ealaíontóra sa stiúdeo na scéalta seo a thaifead trén bpéinteáil.

And it is the role and duty of the museum to be the repository and archive of these artworks, preserved in society long after the news cycle has moved on.

These paintings are powerful, they are heavy themes of human suffering, and not for the fainthearted. But they are also beautiful paintings. Courageous paintings. There is an urgency, an outrage and a stillness in these paintings. They will stay with you. They are unforgettable.

Here, you cannot scroll, swipe or delete. We also are forced to bear witness to the human suffering."In painting, the invisible becomes visible. If good enough, the medium carries the hope." - Brian Maguire.

Leanann La Grande Illusion le Brian Maguire i nDánlann Hugh Lane go dtí an 23 Márta 2025, cead isteach saor.