Paul Henry RHA (1877-1958)Bogland, Kerry Oil on canvas, 38 x 45.5cm (15 x 18'')SignedProvenance: A private Dublin collectionA feint inscription on the reverse of the canvas suggests that the title is ‘Bogland, Kerry’ but the composition, freedom of brushwork and style certainly confirms this suggestion and also suggests a likely date in the early to mid 1930s. The work is very much in keeping with Henry’s work of this period and is aligned with those works that Dr. S.B. Kennedy suggests are scenes in Co. Kerry - with simple bogland compositions and vigorous brushstrokes.The rapidly painted fleeting rainclouds that scamper across the open sky bring vitality to the composition. The delicately modeled deep blue mountains provide a sense of solidity to the work and the inky blackness of the turf stacks grounds the composition, while the reflecting water in the foreground generates much welcome lightness.