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ONE of his works topped the poll of Ireland’s favourite paintings and now two free public talks will be given in Tralee next week on him, his work and connection to Kerry.
Kerry County Museum will host the public talks by Dr. Marie Bourke on the Irish artist Frederic William Burton on Tuesday and Wednesday, December 5/6.
Hellelil and Hildebrand, The Meeting on the Turret Stairs.
Both talks will explore Burton’s life and his excursions in Kerry, Galway, Mayo and Sligo between 1839-41 that left the artist with an abiding love for the people and landscape of the west of Ireland.
In 2012, his painting Hellelil and Hildebrand, The Meeting on the Turret Stairs, topped the poll as Ireland’s favourite painting, ahead of works by more high-profile artists.
Based on a medieval Danish ballad about the ill-starred love between Hellelil and her bodyguard, Hildebrand, it features the lovers sharing a fleeting moment of intimacy.
The two talks are part of a regional programme supporting the exhibition Frederic William Burton, For the Love of Art, running at the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin until January 14, 2018.
This exhibition, curated by Dr. Marie Bourke, is an opportunity to look afresh at the work of Frederic William Burton (1816-1900) and to reflect on his lifetime achievement as a Victorian watercolour artist.
Burton and the West of Ireland takes place on Tuesday, December 5 at 7.30pm while Burton. An Overview of his Life is on Wednesday at 11am.
