MARY A. WATERS

SCHILDERIJEN / PAINTINGS

OVER DE KUNSTENAAR / ABOUT THE ARTIST

Mary Alacoque Waters is een Ierse schilder die bekend staat om haar realistische portretten en stillevens die een duidelijke inspiratie uit de oude meesters halen. Geboren in Londen in 1957, woont en werkt in Galway, Ierland. Haar werk wordt gekenmerkt door het gebruik van olieverf op linnen en een stijl die doet denken aan de 16e-eeuwse Venetiaanse en 17e-eeuwse Nederlandse schilderkunst. Na haar afstuderen in 1981 aan de National College of Art and Design in Limerick, bleef Waters tot 1990 de klassieke schilderkunst intensief bestuderen.

Waters' fascinatie met de Gouden Eeuw-schilderkunst begon al op jonge leeftijd, toen ze in Ierland opgroeide en kunst moest bestuderen via kleine, zwart-wit reproducties in boeken. Dit stimuleerde haar verbeelding en leidde tot een unieke, instinctieve benadering van de klassieke technieken. Ze schildert gedetailleerde portretten die vaak glamour en macht uitstralen. Haar figuren, zowel monochroom als in kleur, worden vaak tegen een sobere of geometrische achtergrond geplaatst, wat een intrigerend contrast vormt.

Waters put inspiratie uit iconische werken van Europese meesters en gebruikt deze als basis voor haar eigen creaties. Een bekend voorbeeld is haar werk dat geïnspireerd is op Vermeer, maar ze maakt ook spannende combinaties, zoals een Renaissancejurk in een kerkinterieur in de stijl van Van Saenredam. Haar werk is allesbehalve een simpele kopie; het is een hedendaagse dialoog met het verleden. Waters zelf omschrijft haar studie van de oude werken als "instinctief en visueel geleid", en benadrukt de spanning die ze ervaart tussen de culturele superioriteit van deze historische kunst en haar eigen Ierse achtergrond.

 

Mary Alacoque Waters is an Irish painter known for her realistic portraits and still lifes that draw clear inspiration from the Old Masters. Born in London in 1957, she currently lives and works in Utrecht and in Galway, Ireland. Her work is characterized by the use of oil paint on linen and a style reminiscent of 16th-century Venetian and 17th-century Dutch painting. After graduating in 1981 from the National College of Art and Design in Limerick, Waters continued to intensively study classical painting until 1990. 

Waters' fascination with Golden Age painting began at a young age when she grew up in Ireland and had to study art through small, black-and-white reproductions in books. This stimulated her imagination and led to a unique, instinctive approach to classical techniques. She paints detailed portraits that often exude glamour and power. Her figures, both monochromatic and in color, are often placed against a sober or geometric background, creating an intriguing contrast.

Waters draws inspiration from iconic works by European masters and uses them as a basis for her own creations. A well-known example is her work inspired by Vermeer, but she also makes exciting combinations, such as a Renaissance dress in a church interior in the style of Van Saenredam. Her work is anything but a simple copy; it's a contemporary dialogue with the past. Waters herself describes her study of the old works as "instinctive and visually guided," and emphasizes the tension she experiences between the cultural superiority of this historical art and her own Irish background.

 

Artist statement ( by Mary A. Waters )

" All of the source images for my work are taken from European (mainly Italian Dutch, Spanish and English)
painting from the 14thto the 19thcentury. These images are seen by most of the western world as embodying the best in us. They are iconic and unquestioned.
 
Coming from Ireland, a country with a long history of colonization and its aftermath, I see another side of this imagery. In Ireland, these Paintings were not seen as our cultural heritage in the same way they would have been by the English, Dutch or Germans. They carried a message of unattainable superiority and lasting authority, culturally and politically. 

This tension, for me is profoundly interesting and I have been exploring it in my work for many years. I have to stress that I do not look at the images in a sequential, analytical or academic way; I am not an Art historian. I can only describe my study of them as instinctive visually led. Looking at these images I have concluded that they frequently reflect the character of a culture more in their aesthetic than in their content. The values or desires of a society are often allowed only subliminal expression. It seems that for most of us, we can only examine ourselves obliquely. "

COLLECTIES / COLLECTIONS

Museum Het Prinsenhof Delft NL, Museum MORE, Gorssel, NL, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (embassies) NL, Rijksgebouwendienst NL (office of public works), Religious Art Museum Uden NL, International private collections

KUNSTBEURZEN / ART FAIRS

Art Bodensee - DE, Art Dubai - , Art Rotterdam - NL, Kunstrai Amsterdam - NL, YIA Art Fair Pairs - FR, YIA Art Fair Brussels - BE, YIA Art Fair Maastricht - NL, Art Miami - USA, Zona Maco - MX, Rotterdam Contemporary - NL, PAN Amsterdam - NL, Pulse Miami - USA, Art Stage Singapore - SG, Art Karlsruhe - DE, Arte Fiera Bologna - ES, Art Amsterdam - NL, The Solo Project Basel - CH, TEFAF - NL, Art Brussels - BE 

PUBLICATIES / PUBLICATIONS

Eating the Image, ISBN 9789079372034, Pels & Kemper Publishers

OPLEIDING / EDUCATION