JIM FITZPATRICK (IRISH, B. 1944)
The voyage of Brendan - The Crystal Columns
signed and dated 'JIM FITZPATRICK 92' (lower left), titled (lower right)
mixed media on paper
60 x 86cm
ARR
Provenance
Acquired directly from the artist by the mother of the present owner;
Private collection, UK
| Estimate: | £2,000 - £4,000 |
Footnote
Jim Fitzpatrick's is perhaps best known for his graphic portrait of Che Guevara, titled Guerrillero Herioco, based on the iconic 1960 photograph of the Marxist revolutionary by Alexander Korda. Much of his early work was based on Celtic myths and legends. He also created the artwork for a number of album covers including Thin Lizzy's Vagabonds of the Western World, Fighting and Jailbreak as well as Sinead O'Connor's Faith and Courage.
The present work is based on a 9th century text describing Brendan's journey across the Atlantic in search of the Garden of Eden where he encountered numerous fantastical phenomena including the crystal columns of ice seen here. In correspondence between the artist and the previous owner from 1994, Fitzpatrick wrote of the present work, '...it is one of my best and if you want it its yours - you did sow the seed of the idea in my head after all.'