작품 상세

Oil on canvas Signed and dated 1872 lower right 77 x 111 cm. (30 1/4 x 43 3/4 in) Established following the Norman invasion in the 12th century, Dingle was to become one of the main trading ports in Ireland, with a profitable trade of exporting fish and hides, and importing continental wines. As a fishing port, Dingle s fishing trade dates back to the early part of the 19th century, and it was a regular sight for herring trawlers, and nobby fleets in search of mackerel. The Dingle Peninsula, arguably the westernmost point of Europe, has been the sight of numerous wrecks, some of which occured in recent times, including the Spanish ship MV Ranga that was wrecked on its maiden voyage in 1982. The present painting by Beechey gives an insight into the dramatic views near Dingle, and illustrates the unforgiving nature of the rugged and exposed coastline. Rear-Admiral Richard Brydges Beechey was an Anglo-Irish painter in the Royal Navy, which he joined aged only 14. Beechey was one of the 18 children of the painter Sir William Beechey (17531839), and after his time at the Royal Naval College, Portsmouth, he sailed the Pacific in HMS Blossom, which was commanded by his brother Frederick William Beechey (1796-1856), in an effort to support the Franklin Expedition. In 1828 Beechey was promoted to lieutenant, but it wasn t until 1851 that he was promoted to Captain. In the interim Beechey became a prolific painter, and often the subjects and views that he experienced in the Royal Navy became the catalyst for his paintings. He first exhibited at the Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts in 1842, while he was living in Limerick, and he continued to exhibit up to the year before his death in 1895 showing over 50 paintings in total.