An Bailiúchán Náisiúnta de Líníocht Chomhaimseartha - The National Collection of Contemporary Drawing
Beatha, Líníocht agus Saoirse
National Collection of Contemporary Drawings
“…..tá tarraingt línte iontach furasta a chleachtadh agus a thuiscint mar ghníomhaíocht – gníomhaíocht atá bunúsach don duine - tá sé thar a bheith gaolta do na mianta saoirse a bhíonn ag an duine i gcónaí. Éiríonn le cuid acu seo níos fearr ná cuid eile. Agus ar chúis amháin nó ar chúis eile, mar a tharla le síol an fháthscéil, ní éiríonn le cuid acu ar chor ar bith. Ach oiread lena lucht féachana, níl ealaíontóirí saor ó chliseadh ná a bheith curtha de dhroim seoil ag na fórsaí céanna a bhfuil siad ag iarraidh iad féin a shaoradh uatha. Tá fianaise ar an choimhlint leanúnach seo le tabhairt faoi deara i gcuid mhór líníocht chomhaimseartha.
Is léir ón Bhailiúchán Náisiúnta seo de Líníochtaí Comhaimseartha cad é mar a tharlaíonn an choimhlint. Is ionann nádúr na líníochta agus an bhrí ar leith a bhaineann gach ealaíontóir as an ghníomhaíochta. Má deir ealaíontóir gur líníocht cibé rud atá curtha i gcrích aige nó aice, is líníocht é. Mar sin de, tá iliomad stíleanna ann agus is minic a bhréagnaíonn siad a chéile.. D'fhéadfaí a rá go bhfuil cineál d'ainriail i réim. B'fhéidir, ar ndóigh, go gcuireann an dearcadh oscailte géilliúil seo an deis is fearr ar fáil do na healaíontóirí agus don lucht féachana araon aimsiú a dhéanamh ar an tsaoirse sin a lorgaíonn siad trí shaothar ealaíne, deis a dhéanann ciall den tsaol seo a roinneann muid le chéile, fiú muna bhfuil sa deis sin ach iarracht tús agus deireadh a chur ar an scéal..
In ainneoin na héagsúlachta agus na contrárthachta atá sa choimhlint seo, tá prionsabal comhaontaithe ann: an rud a deir RG Collingwood atá mar ‘léiriú comhfhiosach ar mhothúchán’. Cuireann sé an dearcadh seo chun tosaigh mar shainmhíniú oibre don ealaín, an ealaín intuigthe mar ghníomhaíocht. Bíonn daoine, idir ealaíontóirí agus lucht féachana, i gcónaí i mbun na gníomhaíochta seo. Cuireann sé ar a gcumas, chomh maith le freagracht a thabhairt dóibh, mothúchán a chur in iúl go hoscailte ionraice. De thairbhe na gníomhaíochta sin, cuireann siad aithne orthu féin.
Sa líníocht, tagann muid chun a bheith comhionann leis na rudaí a tharraingímid agus bheirimid aghaidh orainn féin. Tig linn ansin an fhírinne fúinn féin a admháil ar dhóigh speisialta, thuisceanach, soghonta agus céim eile i dtreo na saoirse a ghlacadh. Ní chuireann an líníocht ar fáil dúinn ach na céimeanna sa treo cheart..”
Paul M O’Reilly - Luimneach 1996
Ón ‘National Collection of Contemporary Drawing, Imleabhar 1’ - Foilsithe ag Gailearaí Ealaíon Chathair Luimnigh, Gandon Editions, 1996.
Life, Drawing and Liberation
National Collection of Contemporary Drawings
“…..drawing is so readily practised and understood as an activity – a basic human activity – it lies very close to where these urges for liberation continue to spring from. Some attempts succeed better than others. Some, like the sown seed of the parable, fail for one reason or another. Artists, no more than their audiences, are not immune to failure, to be thwarted, compromised or seduced into co-operation with the very forces they start out to free themselves from. Much contemporary drawing shows signs of this continuing struggle.
This National Collection of Contemporary Drawing….shows evidence of how this struggle takes place. The idea of what constitutes a drawing is left up to the sense each artist makes of the activity. Anything an artist says is a drawing, is a drawing. So styles vary enormously; they can even contradict one another. A kind of anarchy can be said to reign. This open, tolerant attitude toward the meaning of drawing provides the best chance, perhaps, of gaining that liberation artists and audience alike seek through works of art, the chance to make meaning, to make sense out of the world they share, even if it is only to pull or try to pull the plug.
For all the diversity and contradiction in this struggle, there is a unifying principle: what RG Collingwood refers to as ‘the conscious expression of emotion’. He offers this as a working definition of art, of art understood as an activity. People, artists and audiences are continually engaged in this activity. In it they have the opportunity, they take the responsibility to consciously express emotion openly, candidly, honestly. In the very act of doing so, they confront themselves, they have the chance to find out who they are.
In drawing we become the things we draw and we confront ourselves in them. In a special, intimate and vulnerable way we then face and state the truth about ourselves and take another step towards liberation. All that drawing offers us are the steps in the right direction.”
Paul M O’Reilly - Limerick 1996
From ‘National Collection of Contemporary Drawing, Volume 1’ - Published by Limerick City Gallery of Art, Gandon Editions, 1996.