Andrew McIlroy

South Wind

10 March — 21 March 2016

Born 1966
Lives and works in Melbourne

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Andrew McIlroy's latest exhibition delves further into his investigation of the sublime. Sea and sky meet in a swirling, ethereal world where memory and the artist's vision collide. McIlroy's paintings are highly emotive and lead us through his experience of the natural world.

McIlroy has adopted the rich glazing techniques of the Old Masters, creating an illusionary depth of space and time. It is a sensation that allows one to delve head-long into the seascapes as an experience that ultimately influences mood.  Andrew McIlroy's vision and desire to capture the drama of the ocean against brooding skies, is all-pervading in this exhibition.

The artist has recently travelled to study first-hand, the fearsome sea paintings of the great European artists of the 18th and 19th centuries. It was an era known as the Golden Age of Sail—a time where mariners were at complete mercy of the sea and wind. The ensuing mythology and drama filtered throughout all parts of society—painters, poets and musician’s set a scene that influences our psyche today in regards to the sea. For McIlroy, most notable was Norwegian Johan Jacob Bennetter (1822-1904)—his powerful yet somewhat wistful seascapes have strongly influenced the artists’ practice. McIlroy leaves some of the more melancholic elements of the Norwegians oeuvre, yet picks up on the inherent power of his palate to successfully place his work between a reverence for the act of traditional painting methodology and his zeal for a contemporary edge.

McIlroy states; 
“For many of us, the sea is at our doorstep, shaping some of our strongest memories. My most treasured childhood memories are of the beach, where I’d spend hours staring out at the water with thoughts of all sorts of grand adventures.  Probably inspired in no small part by the adventure novels of Joseph Conrad, Jules Verne, Daniel Dafoe and Robert Louis Stevenson.”

Stirred by Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s epic poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (published in 1798), McIlroy brings these thoughts to the fore in South Wind. Coleridge’s classic poem begins with the Mariners’ ship being driven south by a storm. The ship and its crew endure natures wrath for which they ultimately have no control over.

At the heart of South Wind is beauty, power and enticement—all inherent in the sea—this can never be harnessed nor underestimated, acting as a metaphor for life.

\ Exhibition featured works

Andrew McIlroy

And I with sobs did pray

2016 \ Oil on linen \ 118x130cm

$12,000

Andrew McIlroy

And closes from behind

2016 \ Oil on linen \ 117x112 cm

$10,000

Andrew McIlroy

Day after day

2016 \ Oil on linen \ 117x112cm

Andrew McIlroy

Good spirits rise again

2016 \ Oil on linen \ 117x112cm

SOLD

Andrew McIlroy

O let me be awake

2016 \ Oil on linen \ 117x112cm

SOLD

Andrew McIlroy

O'er the harbour-bar

2016 \ Oil on linen \ 118x130cm

SOLD

Andrew McIlroy

South Wind

2016 \ Oil on linen \ 198x198cm

Andrew McIlroy

That bring the fog and mist

2016 \ Oil on linen \ 152x183cm

SOLD

Andrew McIlroy

The air is cut away

2016 \ Oil on linen \ 117x112cm

SOLD

Andrew McIlroy

The albatross

2016 \ Oil on linen \ 118x130cm

SOLD

Andrew McIlroy

Upon a painted ocean

2016 \ Oil on linen \ 117x112cm

SOLD

Andrew McIlroy

Water, water, everywhere

2016 \ Oil on linen \ 117x112cm

\ Other exhibitions

Hubert Pareroultja

"When the rain tumbles down in july"

21 March — 6 April 2024

PEOPLE,

Group Exhibition

29 February — 16 March 2024

Jonathan Dalton

MELBOURNE ART FAIR

22 February — 25 February 2024

Contact Us

to find out more about South Wind.

12 - 14 Meagher Street Chippendale, NSW 2008
Opening Hours
Monday to Friday, 9.00am - 5.30pm Saturday, 11am - 4pm Closed Public Holidays (and Easter Saturday)