George Russell, called AE

The Oriel Gallery, Dublin, 1998, where acquired by the present owner

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The Oriel Gallery, Dublin, 1998, où l'actuel propriétaire l'a acquise

Limerick, The Hunt Museum, Shades of Light, Evocations of Summer, 8 June - 16 October 2005

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Limerick, The Hunt Museum, Shades of Light, Evocations of Summer, 8 juin - 16 octobre 2005

This mysterious and romantic work, exemplary of Russell's oeuvre, depicts a trio of ladies engaged in an animated musical recital. A muse secretly observes the scene from the left, while another lady emerges from a path leading off into the distance. The scene is bathed in the light of the moon, intensifying the atmosphere and creating a theatrical element.

On 2nd January 1901, Russell's only play, 'Deirdre' - an Irish myth popular during the Irish Literary Revival at the turn of the 20th century (W.B. Yeats, J.M. Synge and Lady Gregory all published their own versions) - had its premier performance in the garden of 5 Harcourt Terrace in Dublin. The gardens there recall the composition of the present work, and its inspiration may therefore lie in this performance, blended with Russell's own imaginative prowess. When the play was later performed at St. Teresa’s Hall, Clarendon Street, Dublin in 1902, Russell painted the scenery and designed the dresses for Deirdre - a flair for design we see reflected in the sumptuous costumes of the present painting.

In subsequent years, the adjoining property to 5 Harcourt Terrace (no. 4) was lived in by Micheál MacLiammoír from 1944 to 1978. An actor, designer, dramatist and writer, MacLiammoír was of a later generation who knew George Russell and continued the momentum of the Irish Literary Revival. In Moonlight Serenade therefore, we have a highly evocative work which links key figures and recalls this vibrant period of Irish creativity and literary renaissance.