John Noel Smith’s journey continues with an enlivening sense of momentum, writes Margarita Cappock
To read this article in full, subscribe or buy this edition of the Irish Arts Review
John Noel Smith produces paintings of a singular intensity. His powerful, abstract works combine dynamism with a subtle rendering of surface and possess an inescapable presence and energy that resonate on several different levels – formally, conceptually, intellectually and emotionally. Throughout all the metamorphoses of his style, Smith has never deviated significantly from his commitment to abstract art while maintaining a deep-thinking engagement with both the historic and contemporary world. ‘My work, stretching back over the last forty years, recognises the period from the mid-19th century to the present day as a continuum,‚’ says Smith. ‘My interest, however, is not in news reportage but in a more nuanced investigation into the underlying structures which constitute human relations and connote life.‚’
Mary Stratton Ryan looks at the life of Mary Kate Benson, a tentative figure in the Irish art pantheon, on the centenary of her death
