|Home| Info| Community| Business| Beaches| What to do?| Rentals| News| Forum| Blogs| Finance| History| FAQ| Contact|
Local resident swift
-
guest2
Local resident swift
Following is from Euro Weekly News.
Thought this might interest some of you on this site. Patrick Swift used the live just passed Carvoeio at Alfanzina; founder of Porches Pottery.
"A principled artist
THE Algarve is populated by many artists from northern Europe settling into an area of natural beauty with an ideal climate.
For painters, the clarity and quality of light is the main attraction. With seascapes and mountain regions that support a wide variety of trees and plants, there is an enormous range of visual stimuli.
These factors have considerable appeal.
But, 40 years ago, when the Algarve was totally undeveloped, Irish artist, Patrick Swift, was one of the first to make the move.
Following a holiday with his wife and young family, they left a comfortable and successful lifestyle in London in exchange for a simple, rural existence in the eastern Algarve.
Swift had been at the heart of the art and literary scene in London but chose instead to settle near the tranquil, undeveloped village of Carvoeiro. His decision was life changing.
He had gained a reputation in his home city of Dublin for his figurative paintings ñ his work was given critical acclaim at a one-man exhibition at the Victor Waddington Galleries.
When he moved to London he became co-editor of the literary art journal ëXí, living in a world he described as, ëthe bohemian jungle of Sohoí.
There cannot have been a greater contrast when the family put down roots in their new unspoiled surroundings.
Now, Swift could resume his painting, without the need to exhibit or be part of the competitive art scene.
Together with a Portuguese business partner, Lima de Freites, they set up a successful pottery business, developing traditional patterns into new styles.
This gave him sufficient commercial success to pursue his painting purely for enjoyment. During the 1970s he exhibited only on one occasion with a solo show in Lisbon that was highly praised.
Swift died in 1983, aged just 53 ñ and his paintings have become recognised as an important contribution to post-war Irish art.
His work is on permanent exhibition at the Irish gallery of Modern Art in Dublin.
Swiftís painting styles went through several phases and he is probably best recognised for his representational work.
He was a friend of the renowned artist Lucian Freud. As young men, they shared a studio together and their figurative styles have common features. Swift was a fierce critic of abstract art, a debate which he promulgated in ëXí magazine.
As a student he received a government grant to travel to Italy where he spent time painting detailed studies of plants. This interest was to return when he came to Portugal, at first painting whole landscapes and later focussing on the details of the foliage.
In the 1970s, his portraiture and paintings of the outdoors were clearly influenced by Cezanne.
The two shared a similar interest in making repeated studies of a single figure, landscape or object.
His work was brought to the attention of the then Prime Minister, S· Caneiro.
He was commissioned to paint his portrait but, even with the prestige of such an important sitter, Swift continued to maintain his low profile on the artistic scene.
He was always wary of the temptation to over produce paintings for financial reasons. Owing to the commercial success of his ceramics business, he did not have to do so.
His paintings are now exceedingly valuable, a fact he might not entirely approve of if he were here today.
The family business continues to produce beautiful ceramics using his designs at Porches Pottery.
Contained in a long low building resembling a farmhouse on the EN 125, it is open to the public."
Thought this might interest some of you on this site. Patrick Swift used the live just passed Carvoeio at Alfanzina; founder of Porches Pottery.
"A principled artist
THE Algarve is populated by many artists from northern Europe settling into an area of natural beauty with an ideal climate.
For painters, the clarity and quality of light is the main attraction. With seascapes and mountain regions that support a wide variety of trees and plants, there is an enormous range of visual stimuli.
These factors have considerable appeal.
But, 40 years ago, when the Algarve was totally undeveloped, Irish artist, Patrick Swift, was one of the first to make the move.
Following a holiday with his wife and young family, they left a comfortable and successful lifestyle in London in exchange for a simple, rural existence in the eastern Algarve.
Swift had been at the heart of the art and literary scene in London but chose instead to settle near the tranquil, undeveloped village of Carvoeiro. His decision was life changing.
He had gained a reputation in his home city of Dublin for his figurative paintings ñ his work was given critical acclaim at a one-man exhibition at the Victor Waddington Galleries.
When he moved to London he became co-editor of the literary art journal ëXí, living in a world he described as, ëthe bohemian jungle of Sohoí.
There cannot have been a greater contrast when the family put down roots in their new unspoiled surroundings.
Now, Swift could resume his painting, without the need to exhibit or be part of the competitive art scene.
Together with a Portuguese business partner, Lima de Freites, they set up a successful pottery business, developing traditional patterns into new styles.
This gave him sufficient commercial success to pursue his painting purely for enjoyment. During the 1970s he exhibited only on one occasion with a solo show in Lisbon that was highly praised.
Swift died in 1983, aged just 53 ñ and his paintings have become recognised as an important contribution to post-war Irish art.
His work is on permanent exhibition at the Irish gallery of Modern Art in Dublin.
Swiftís painting styles went through several phases and he is probably best recognised for his representational work.
He was a friend of the renowned artist Lucian Freud. As young men, they shared a studio together and their figurative styles have common features. Swift was a fierce critic of abstract art, a debate which he promulgated in ëXí magazine.
As a student he received a government grant to travel to Italy where he spent time painting detailed studies of plants. This interest was to return when he came to Portugal, at first painting whole landscapes and later focussing on the details of the foliage.
In the 1970s, his portraiture and paintings of the outdoors were clearly influenced by Cezanne.
The two shared a similar interest in making repeated studies of a single figure, landscape or object.
His work was brought to the attention of the then Prime Minister, S· Caneiro.
He was commissioned to paint his portrait but, even with the prestige of such an important sitter, Swift continued to maintain his low profile on the artistic scene.
He was always wary of the temptation to over produce paintings for financial reasons. Owing to the commercial success of his ceramics business, he did not have to do so.
His paintings are now exceedingly valuable, a fact he might not entirely approve of if he were here today.
The family business continues to produce beautiful ceramics using his designs at Porches Pottery.
Contained in a long low building resembling a farmhouse on the EN 125, it is open to the public."