In the Lion's Den
Subtitle: Daniel Macdonald, Ireland and Empire
Publisher: Cork University Press
Published: 2016
Language: eng
Number of pages: 140
ISBN-13: 9780990468684
Subjects: Ireland, history, famine, 1845-1852; Painting, irish
Description: Daniel Macdonald (1820-1853) is a painter who deserves to be better known. Niamh O'Sullivan's fascinating book reveals compelling new subtexts to his oeuvre and re-establishes him as a painter of national importance; it also sheds original light on the social and visual culture of Ireland in the years leading up to and during the Famine. Themes rarely visited by artists--rural violence, superstition and folklore, the Famine, and many aspects of the national character--were given spirited treatment by Macdonald who insinuated such subject matter in to the salons of metropolitan London, to venues distinctly hostile to Irish poverty, hunger and agitation. This critical biography is essential reading for anyone interested in Irish art and history.--back cover.