Celebrated Cavan painter to exhibit work
A solo exhibition of work by artist Michael Cullivan will be exhibited at the Cavan County Museum in Ballyjamesduff on Wednesday, May 23.
Titled ‘Mo Quartette (Et Al) in Eden’, the part-retrospective will be officially launched at 8pm by local renowned playwright and novelist Michael Harding.
Among 35 paintings on show, several never seen before and held very dear by the artist himself, will be the central quadriptych, a masterful collection of four works dealing with “complex and complicated” themes of life and death.
Dealing with “complex” themes of life and death, the titles Michael says give some insight- ‘The Creator Creating’ and ‘Welcome to Annihilation’. He confides: “It would be things that I’d see that are central to life and indeed the end of that, politics and confusion.”
From his catalogue of work, he intends to show several that were not displayed when he last exhibited in Bailieborough back in 2008.
They include ‘Found the Missing Princess’, described as a coloured drawing, and ‘Cold Lady’, and have until now remained on the wall of his home for personal enjoyment. The reason for finally unveiling them to the public Michael explains “is to make space”.
“To free up my mind and give me the incentive to replace them,” he elaborates. ‘Mo Quartette’ therefore resonates with thoughtfulness.
Dublin-based but born in Cavan, Michael’s family, architects by trade grew up on College Street in Cavan Town before moving to Cathedral Road.
Creativity is a shared gift among his siblings, Michael’s brother Tom is a celebrated classical composer, while his sister is also an artist who lectures at the National College of Art and Design.
O his day growing up locally, he remembers: “I could draw before I could write, but in those days I’d be punished for drawing and doodling. In olden times in Ireland that was frowned upon, but today children in education are encouraged to express themselves in whatever way they feel happy, which is a good thing.”
Though admitting he is “not particularly young” any more, Michael however demands that age should not get in the way when people see his work. Instead, he contends that those viewing his paintings may consider them the as the optic of a much younger man.
More recently he has come to terms with technological advances, dabbling digitally to perform his creative manoeuvres, and some of these will also be on display in Ballyjamesduff next week.
“Above all I feel what I produce, is that if someone was asked to guess the age of the artist when looking at my work, I think quite a number would believe it to be someone very young. They’re very colourful, the ideas are diverse.”
Writing Credited: the Anglo Celt Thursday, May 17, 2018