John Keating

The Port Authority

The Port Authority is typical of the quay-side views on the Aran Islands that Keating painted throughout his career. Here he depicts a crowded qier piled with turf, a scarce commodity on the rockbound islands, which was brought by the boatload from the Connemara mainland. The boat by the quay is a traditionally constructed hooker, which provided the sole transport between the islands and the mainland until steamer service arrived in the early 1900s. In the foreground figure, strong and determined, yet aged and bent by his labors, Keating acknowledges the dignity and hardship of traditional life on the western islands.

Video tour from the exhibit opening at the Yale Center for British Arts, September 1997 Keatings work contrasted with other artists watch the video [37 seconds] Each video clip above requires the RealPlayer, available at http://www.real.com. To view the video, just click on the links above. Downloading and installation instructions are also available.