Maurice MacGonigal facts for kids

Maurice MacGonigal (born January 22, 1900 – died January 31, 1979) was an important Irish artist. He was known for painting landscapes (pictures of nature) and portraits (pictures of people). He was also a very influential teacher.

Maurice MacGonigal's Life Story

Maurice MacGonigal was born in Ranelagh, Dublin, Ireland, on January 22, 1900. His father, Francis, was also a painter and decorator. Maurice was the only son in his family.

He went to Synge Street Christian Brothers School. In 1915, he started learning how to make stained-glass windows. He worked for his uncle, Joshua Clarke, and alongside his cousin, Harry Clarke. Here, Maurice learned a lot about design and drawing.

In 1917, Maurice joined a group called Na Fianna Éireann. During the Irish War of Independence, he worked as a messenger for the Irish Republican Army (IRA). He was arrested in December 1920 and held in Kilmainham Gaol and later in Ballykinlar camp. While he was a prisoner, he was chosen to be the prisoners' intelligence officer. Maurice was released in 1921. After that, he left all political groups to focus completely on his art.

On August 6, 1940, Maurice married Aida Kelly. They had two sons, Muiris and Ciaran. The family lived in different parts of Dublin. Maurice MacGonigal passed away in a Dublin hospital on January 31, 1979. He is buried in Roundstone, County Galway. A large artist's palette, which once belonged to another famous painter named William Orpen, was placed on his grave.

Maurice MacGonigal's Art Career

Maurice MacGonigal became a partner with Harry Clarke in their design work. At the same time, he studied art in the evenings at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art. He won a special scholarship called the Taylor scholarship for his painting A public meeting. This allowed him to study full-time from 1923 to 1926. He learned from famous artists like Seán Keating.

In 1923, he painted a watercolour called Prisoners on the roof, Kilmainham. This painting showed an important protest by Irish republicans. In 1924, he visited the Aran Islands. This trip sparked his interest in painting the west of Ireland. He also created a stained-glass panel for an exhibition in 1925. However, he soon decided to focus mainly on painting.

After visiting the Netherlands in 1927, Maurice was inspired by the works of artists like Anton Mauve and Vincent van Gogh. Between 1927 and 1930, he created many watercolour paintings of the coasts of north County Down and County Antrim. His first solo art show was held in 1929.

From 1927, Maurice was a visiting art teacher at the Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA). He also taught at the Metropolitan School of Art. He showed his paintings at the RHA every year from 1924 to 1979. In 1931, he became an associate member of the RHA, and a full member in 1933. Maurice painted many different scenes. These included rural landscapes, city scenes, and everyday life in both cities and the countryside. He also painted historical or political events. One of his paintings was even part of the art competition at the 1948 Summer Olympics.

Maurice was a member of the Academy of Christian Art starting in 1933. He also served as the keeper of the RHA school twice. In 1926, he helped start the Radical Club, where artists could show their work. His painting A Dublin studio shows other members of this club. He also designed the stage sets for a play called The silver tassie at the Abbey Theatre in 1935.

From 1937 to 1954, Maurice was an assistant professor of painting at the National College of Art (NCA). He became the main professor in 1954 and stayed in that role until 1969. He was also a professor of painting at the RHA from 1947 to 1978. He served as the president of the RHA from 1962 to 1978.

In the 1960s, Maurice's art started to become more abstract. This means his paintings focused more on shapes and colours rather than realistic images. His painting Composition (1961) shows the influence of cubism, an art style that uses geometric shapes. In 1963, he was made an honorary member of the Royal Academy, London. He also became an honorary member of the Royal Scottish Academy in 1964.

Maurice resigned from his teaching role at the NCA in 1969. This was because of student protests about the traditional art curriculum. He felt that the teachers' authority was being challenged. He also disagreed with the Irish government's decision to make artists' earnings tax-free. He believed it would attract "art parasites" to Ireland.

Maurice MacGonigal was a governor of the National Gallery of Ireland. In 1970, he received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the National University of Ireland. He was also involved with the Project Arts Centre in Dublin. The Limerick City Gallery of Art has a self-portrait of Maurice. In 1991, the Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery of Modern Art held a big exhibition of his work.

Selected Works

• The beach at Renvyle (1930)
• Manannán Mac Lir series (1932)
• Dockers (1934)
• A Dublin studio (around 1935)
• Mural for the Irish pavilion at the New York world's fair (1939)
• The rescue from the prison van at Manchester (1940–46)
• An gorta (The famine) (1946)
• A summer's day (1948)
• Early morning, Connemara (Mannin Bay) (1965)
• Stony beach, Feothanach (1972)
• Races, Ballyconneely, County Galway (1976)