Lot Always Sunday – original painting by Gerard Byrne is accompanied by a signed copy of the artist’s collectable coffee table book Turning Corners that features Always Sunday piece amongst stunning illustrations of 150 artworks.
Always Sunday
On a good day, when the tide is low, Sandymount Strand is a sweeping expanse that gleams against the suburban sun. The beach is dotted with eager Dubliners and the sky is a brilliant blue, above the sand and in the water. The Poolbeg Chimneys – red and white totems reaching for the clouds amidst the familiar palette of an Irish landscape, have long been a symbol of the capital. Together, come rain or shine, they have stood the test of time since ‘78, while the city bent and shifted – the first structure you see when you fly into Dublin and the last as you fly out. The use of colours, characteristic of a typical Byrne, captures and preserves in time this magic, this moment of sweetness, where the sun is always shining on a city that feels like a town and holds its people and icons dear.
Byrne chose Always Sunday for ‘A Community of Hope: Artists for Dublin Simon Community’ art auction because of what it represents in the face of adversity. The title makes reference to the idea of a perfect Sunday- emotions of home, togetherness, warmth and the comfort of belonging. Byrne painted this work in the plein-air tradition, like much of his practice, despite the cold February air. What makes this piece so fitting for the auction is what it embodies- the promise of something better, a clearer sky, the hope of a warmer day.
