Morgan O'Driscoll Irish & International Art Auction 21st October 2019

I rish & I nternational A rt M onday 21 st O ctober 2019 at 6.00 pm 103 73 Basil Blackshaw HRHA RUA (1932-2016) Frightened Cockerel signed lower right and titled verso oil on canvas 60.5 x 50cm (23.75 x 19.75in) Provenance: Private Collection €30,000-50,000 (£26,548-44,247) Widely regarded as the 20th century’s best and most sympathetic Irish painter of animals, Basil Blackshaw is a pre-eminent example of a naturally gifted artist who is not prepared to rest on his laurels. He approached each work as though it was a problem to be solved from scratch. Hence the edgy uncertainty that imbues each of his images with an unmistakable vitality. He maintained that the most important question was not what you put into a picture but what to leave out. His feeling for animals was genuine; a countryman, he lived surrounded by animals and observed them minutely, not least horses.