Project to explore stories of Achill children featured in celebrated artist's work
ACHILL Tourism and the Museum of Childhood Ireland have announced a collaboration on an exciting historical, cultural and art history project, exploring and recording history from the perspective of the children who sat as models for American artist Robert Henri in Achill between 1913 and 1928.
Henri had great respect for his child sitters. In his book, The Art Spirit, he states emphatically: “If you paint children you must have no patronising attitude toward them. Whoever approaches a child without wonderment, misses in his judgement what is before him… Paint with respect for the [the child]… [The child] is the great possibility, the independent individual.”
Henri’s depiction of the Achill children avoids the sentimental view of poverty typical of the time. He doesn’t use props like toys or books, and so you are immediately drawn to the child’s face.
He said: “In the faces of children I have seen a look of wisdom and kindness expressed with such ease and certainty that I knew it was the expression of a whole race.”
Following Henri’s approach, Achill Tourism and the Museum of Childhood Ireland aim to explore the lives of the Achill children; a story of life in Ireland spanning over 100 years, from an evolving way of life on the periphery of Europe, to the birth of the Free State, life as an Irish emigrant and more.
These children, they say, encapsulated Irish tradition, generation to generation. Their world centred on family life and community, and, as such, their life stories are an important snapshot of the social, cultural and historic fabric of the first 100 years of the Irish State.
In a statement they said they are excited about the possibilities of exploring numerous avenues with this project, but feel it is most important to start where Henri did, with the children.
'The children are with us still in our living memory. They are our mums, dads, our grannies, grandads, uncles and aunts. By acting now, reaching out now to collect and record as much information as is possible, we can help to ensure this invaluable information is preserved for future generations.'
Achill Tourism, in conjunction with the Museum of Childhood Ireland, also plan to host a series of events in 2022 to celebrate Robert Henri, who lived and worked on Achill in 1913 and again from 1924 to '28 painting portraits of local children.
Reproduction prints of Henri's paintings of Achill children are part of a permanent display at The Achill Experience - Aquarium and Visitor Centre in Keel.