"Concarneau, Brittany"

Oil on board painting by Aloysius O’Kelly of Concarneau, Brittany. Signed bottom right and titled verso. Condition: Good. Provenance: Sarasota estate. Overall sized framed in original frame 12.25 by 16.25 inches.

Concarneau has made its living from the fishing industry for hundreds of years and the town remains an important centre: more than 100,000 tonnes of tuna are caught each year by Concarneau-based boats. It’s possible for tourists to visit the fish auction, canneries and also sometimes to assist the deep-sea fishermen to unload their catch. But more adventurous sorts might like to join an organised trip on an old sardine boat to try their own hand.

Aloysius O'Kelly (1853-1941)
The Irish landscape artist, figurative painter and orientalist Aloysius O'Kelly was born in Dublin in 1853, He was the youngest of four boys and one girl. His mother's brother was John Lawlor, the London sculptor, and his cousin, Michael Lawlor, was also a sculptor. Two of Aloysius' brothers, Charles and Stephen O'kelly, also became artists. Another brother, James J O'Kelly became involved in Nationalist politics.

In 1874, he travelled to Paris and attended the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in 1874, where he studied painting and drawing under the French masters Bonnat and Gérôme. In 1876 he visited Brittany, joining several other artists of various nationalities in practising plein-air painting in order to capture the naturalism of its villages and fishing ports.