Dublin, early 1900s. Ranelagh Gardens. An afternoon that has no intention of ending.
Under the Trees, Ranelagh captures a fleeting summer moment in one of Dublin's most cherished green spaces — figures resting beneath dappled canopy, light filtering through leaves onto the warm ground below. Lavery was at home in Dublin as much as he was in London, and in this painting he turns his eye not toward the powerful or the famous but toward ordinary leisure, ordinary light, ordinary people making the most of a good day.
It hangs in the Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin. It is a painting about the particular happiness of sitting in the shade on a summer afternoon, which is a happiness that does not age.
Sir John Lavery (1856–1941) was born in Belfast, trained in Glasgow and Paris, and became the visual chronicler of his era. His work is held in the National Gallery of Ireland, the Hugh Lane Gallery, the Tate, and major collections worldwide.
Archival giclée print on 250gsm fine-art matte paper. Printed to order. Free worldwide shipping.
