IRELAND'S FAVOURITE PAINTING

Hellelil and Hildebrand, the Meeting on the Turret Stairs.

Following a five week campaign on RTÉ television, Radio and Online during which people were invited to vote from a shortlist of 10 works, Frederic William Burton’s Hellelil and Hildebrand, the Meeting on the Turret Stairs was voted Ireland's Favourite Painting on May 24th, 2012.

The large and lustrous watercolour from 1864 is derived from a Danish ballad and relates how heroine Hellelil falls in love with her bodyguard, Hildebrand. The story goes that the princess Hellelil's father regarded the young soldier Hildebrand as an unsuitable match for his daughter and he dispatched her seven brothers to kill him, but the tenacious Hildebrand killed her father and six of her brothers before she interceded to save the life of the last. Hildebrand died of his wounds and the heartbroken Hellelil also perished. The painting captures the poignant final embrace of the ill-fated lovers. Burton imagines not the fearsome bloodshed but the lovers’ tender meeting on a turret stairs.

I just love how romantic yet tragic the subject matter is and adding to the mystique is the fact that the painting is only available to view at the National Art Gallery, Dublin, Ireland for three hours each week because of it's sensitivity to light....and I love even more the fact that the artist was born in Corofin, Co Clare!

See more beautiful and interesting paintings

Comments

THE IRISH PINE

I'm stepping back into 'Family Tree' mode again for a bit. My daughter says I have some very interesting people and stories in my family history and I have to agree. I've been doing a bit of research along Fergus O'Ryan 's line because of an exciting piece of information passed on to me by my second cousin...Thanks Ted! Apparently Fergus lost a brother during the war and here's how the story goes.... When hostilities broke out during World War II and Ireland had declared its neutrality during the early years of 1941, the Irish Government realised that they needed to become more independent and self-sufficient because most of its food requirements were being carried aboard allied vessels. Seán Lamass, Minister of supplies at the time (a veteran of the 1916 Rising, the War Of Independence and the Civil War and who later served as Taoiseach) felt that the creation of an Irish merchantile marine, neutral and with no military aims, was necessary. Thi...

WEDDED BLISS

Alleluia! I'm finished 'Wedded Bliss' and I couldn't be more pleased and delighted with the way it turned out. There was so much detail in it that it nearly did my nut! The curtain folds and tassels, the lace on the bodice of the dress, the intricate design on the headboard and bedspread, trying to capture the implied light coming through a window from the right, the shadows, the shading, I thought I'd never be finished. But I love it so much that I hate the thoughts of handing it over. It's like giving up my child for adoption!! 'Wedded Bliss', 16" x 20", Acrylic on Canvas I've chosen a 3" wide, smooth, satiny black finish, natural wood frame with a curvy crown profile to finish it off (thank you pictureframes.com ) and I must say, it is perfect for my painting. What do you think? I think I might use the same frame for my ' Turmoil ' as well when I'm ready to frame it. There it is, sitting pretty in the back...

More Silhouette Art by Ruth.

Here's another taster from my Silhouette Art series, I hope you like them. Keep an eye out for the boys ones coming soon.

TURMOIL

Turmoil by Ruth Kelly . (Oil on canvas board - 16"x12") Finally my first painting in oils is finished but believe it or not, will take the next 6 months or so to dry properly before I can varnish it. I'm still not sure about painting with oils. I do think the result is a softer, more dreamy painting but the waiting game is so frustrating! And now for the profound insight beneath the external ...the meaning behind my composition. Like many others, my life has been strewn with numerous tumultuous events throughout the years. Crisis and turbulence which at the time I struggled to overcome and was imprisoned in my sadness. On many occasions I would distance myself from my torment with a visit to somewhere solitary where I could lament and wallow in my despair and endulge in the pleasure of being sad. Thankfully I realised how gratuitous my melancholy was and managed to get through every storm and come out stronger the other side. This painting...

LITTLE BALLERINA

Here's something I finished recently for the Kiddies. I decided to paint it while I was waiting for ' Turmoil ' to dry because I had been asked by a few people to create some children's wall art, so this is No.1. I call it 'Little Ballerina' and am going to call the series 'Ruthie' (my nickname when I was a kid). It'll be my little 'by the way' project in between the serious stuff. Keep watching for No.2...all suggestions welcome! Little Ballerina by Ruth Kelly Acrylic on box canvas. Little Ballerina by Ruth Kelly