This work has just sold but if you would like one like it please email deborah@wychwoodart.com or call 07799 535 765 to speak to us to arrange this . There is no extra charge for a commission by Sean Durkin. A commission also means you can have the work personalised with a dedication to your loved one or of course yourself! As always free shipping worldwide is offered.
Keeping Watch by Sean Durkin.
An original oil painting on board full or irony and narrative, inspired by Lowry paintings.
Sold Framed – 58 x 58 cm.
Signed ‘Durkin’ in the bottom right hand corner of the painting.
In 1972, his father, John Durkin, stole and held ransom a Lowry painting of Middlesbrough Town Hall and Saint Hilda’s Church from the local art gallery. In exchange for the painting’s safe return, he demanded that the Lord Mayor raffle his underpants for charity and that the gallery be installed with a better alarm system as well as be opened on Sundays “to allow the working am to get some culture.” Young Sean at the time remembered this and was fascinated by Lowry’s “Matchstick” people, which lead to inspire his paintings today.
Because of this story, each of Durkin’s paintings features a robber, a policeman and a pair of underpants disguised as bunting. (Images shown below)
Size: H:58 cm x W:58 cm
Discover original Sean Durkin paintings online with Wychwood Art and in their Oxfordshire Art Gallery.
Full of irony and narrative, Sean Durkin’s work is simultaneously playful and powerful. Now an acclaimed artist with a loyal following, Sean’s path to becoming an artist is quite the tale, further adding to the impact of his work.
In 1972, his father, John Durkin, stole and held ransom a Lowry painting of Middlesbrough Town Hall and Saint Hilda’s Church from the local art gallery. In exchange for the painting’s safe return, he demanded that the Lord Mayor raffle his underpants for charity and that the gallery be installed with a better alarm system as well as be opened on Sundays “to allow the working man to get some culture”.
Only a boy of eight at the time, Sean recalls coming downstairs the following morning to find the stolen painting on the mantelpiece. He was fascinated by the atmosphere of the painting and the ‘matchstick’ people as they scurried around the scene. He did not realise it at the time, but the painting would have a profound effect on his life, and ultimately inspire him to become an artist himself.
Today, Sean’s atmospheric work pays tribute to the memory of that stolen painting. He enjoys creating rough, textured surfaces to suit the grittiness and mood of his paintings. His paintings are furthermore full of narrative, prompting the viewer to wonder about the lives of the ‘matchstick’ people within. Sean himself adds to this narrative by including a burglar and a policeman in every painting as a reminder of his father’s sensational stunt.
Sean's paintings continue to captivate audiences across the country, bringing him great success as an artist. In a rather ironic twist of fate, his work now hangs on public display in the prestigious Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (MIMA) next to the very same L.S. Lowry painting his father once stole. Sean holds regular exhibitions in his native north east, and has been featured on BBC TV, as well as numerous radio stations and newspapers.
To discuss any of Sean Durkin's paintings, please contact Deborah@wychwoodart.com or call 07799 535765/ 01896 338155.
