William Crozier, H.R.H.A.

Leeds, Metropolitan University Gallery, William Crozier, 21st - 7th July 1990, no.1;
Dublin, Royal Hibernian Academy, Gallagher Galleries, William Crozier 1949 - 1990, 1991.

K.Crouan, ed., William Crozier, Lund Humphries, London 2007, illustrated p.122.

Catalogue colour comparison The dark green pigment in the centre of the composition is lighter and fresher than the illustration suggests. Structure Original canvas. There are some minor old discoloured retouchings to small old scuff marks along the centre of the bottom edge which appear to be the artist's hand, otherwise in excellent original condition with fluid passages of impasto throughout. Ultra violet light analysis Apart from the aforementioned old retouchings, there appear to be no further signs of retouching. Held in a dark stained wood box frame.
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In 1983, Crozier set up a studio in Kilcoe, West Cork and his new experience of the landscape around him brought about a fundamental change in his style. Executed in 1987, Siegfried's Way is an important early example of the vivid, expressive handling that he developed there. The rich colour combinations in the present work are typical of his West Cork oeuvre although the specific focus on an evocative moon-lit landscape is a rare treatment of a night scene by the artist.    

In tune with the romantic mood created in the present work, the title relates to the artist's long-standing admiration for the music of  Richard Wagner whose son was called Siegfried and who also used the same name for the third of four operas that comprise Der Ring des Nibelungen. The artist's studio is frequently filled with music and '...the monumental composers, such as Wagner, have a particular appeal...Crozier's painting reflects his interest in orchestration, exuberance controlled by rational structure...it is musical structure itself that seems to have held the greatest interest, alerting him to the possibilities of harmony and dissonance, to rhythm and tonal variations, to resonance and counterpoint...' (Yvonne Scott, William Crozier, exh.cat., Taylor Galleries, Dublin, 2004, n.p.).

Having studied at the Glasgow School of Art, Crozier has exhibited extensively internationally including solo shows during the 1950s and 60s at the progressive Drian Gallery and Arthur Tooth & Sons, London as well as solo exhibitions at galleries such as Galerie Madelleine, Paris; The Taylor Galleries, Dublin. A major retrospective of his work was held in 1991 at the Royal Hibernian Academy, Dublin and toured to Limerick, Galway and Cork.