Wilde about Joyce This Bloomsday

national | arts and media | press release Thursday June 14, 2018 13:23 by David Nowlan - Wilde about Joyce davidnowlanartist at icloud dot com 24 Baggot Street Upper, Dublin 4 0857820038

An art gallery dictated to James Joyce and its Bloomsday this weekend

Dublin, June 13, 2018: An art gallery that opened four months ago and located at 24 Baggot Street Upper, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 is celebrating Bloomsday. My motivation for these oil paintings is to celebrate Joyce by introducing colour into his other-wise early twentieth century black & white portraits, ‘to bring our faded images of Joyce back to life’.

My motivation for these oil paintings is to celebrate Joyce by introducing colour into his other-wise early twentieth century black & white portraits, ‘to bring our faded images of Joyce back to life’.

We have a hundred years of: Photography’s of Joyce, drawings of Joyce, illustrations of him, statues, busts, there are also black pen drawings and oil portraits of Joyce done by his contemporaries and even a death mask. Using all this material as artistic reference I have I spent the last year researching and painting, I hope these paintings are worthwhile, these portraits of Joyce, and portraits of his statues, artworks of artworks, that is these new artworks of his rendered likeness.

Captivated by something new, creating colourful oil portraits from old B&W photography has “excited my imagination, what was his life like?” Intrigued by the monochromatic depictions of Joyce; how they failed to reflect a man that the world has experienced through his writings which are awash, aflame with image, colour and rich textures. In Ireland we just don’t realise, that Joyce was instrumental in revolutionising modern literature.

“Joyce was born less than 1.8 miles from where I grew up...and we were nearing Bloomsday, 16th June which every year in Dublin on that date Dubliners celebrate ‘Ulysses’ one of James Joyce’s books so I felt this Irish artist needed to be painted in bright colours.”

My objective is to reacquaint the audience with a newfound colourful Joyce, to paint the many colours of Joyce’s writings that brought a whole new tempo and colour to writing in the Twentieth Century, that went on to inspire many other writers and artists.

I hope it’s possible to reinterpret Joyce for a new generation, this new generation has come forward with a digital understanding of the social media blur... that surrounds us. As images are the new words... I am guessing that they don’t understand the single biggest contribution to modern literature in 20th century was James Joyce.

The single biggest contribution to modern literature in 20th century was James Joyce.

David Nowlan an oil painter know for his large portrait of The Rev. Ian Paisley that is hanging in Stormont, has opened a contemporary art gallery called, ‘Wilde about Joyce’.

His work is represented by:
Wilde about Joyce, 24 Baggot Street Upper, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, Ireland.

Note to Editors:
Images of the paintings are free to use/no fee just a credit to the photographer David Nowlan

Images link below to the paintings in large format
https://wetransfer.com/downloads/452fbaed0d8a6e912cdc59...1a3a8

https://www.wildeaboutjoyce.com
https://www.davidnowlan.com
https://www.thejamesjoyceproject.com
https://www.jamesjoyce.store

Contact info:
David Nowlan, 32 Hillsbrook Avenue, Dublin 12, Ireland.

Email; davidnowlanartist@icloud.com phone; +353 857820038