Basil Blackshaw, RUA, (Irish, b. 1932), oil on canvas painting, possibly a study, depicting a progression of three figures riding on horseback, set against a hazy sky; the horses wear exercise hoods while their heads are shrouded in fly masks. Signed lower left. 29" x 29" sight, 31" x 31" framed (73.66 cm square sight, 78.74 cm framed). Biography (courtesy Askart: The Artists' Bluebook, and the Online Encyclopedia of Irish and World Art): Basil Blackshaw was born in Glengormley, County Antrim, Northern Ireland and is noted for his expressionist, even abstract, approach to traditional paintings, as well as his sports paintings and portraits, He attended Methodist College in Belfast and studied at the Belfast College of Art from 1948 to 1951, and was awarded a scholarship to study in Paris. A master in the technical skills of painting, Blackshaw is highly regarded for his loose application of paint and a very distinctive use of colour. His pictures of horse racing, and boxing are especially popular but his compositions also include dogs, landscapes, rural life and city scenes. In 1995, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland organized a major retrospective of Blackshaw's artwork which travelled from Belfast to Dublin, Cork and many galleries in the United States. In 2001, he won the Glen Dimplex Award for Sustained Contribution to the Visual Arts in Ireland. He was elected as an associate of the Royal Ulster Academy of the Arts in 1977, and an Academician in 1981. He is a member of the eminent group of Irish artists, Aosdana. Provenance: the estate of Lucille Svitzer Brady (Mrs. Frank B. Brady), formerly of Annapolis, Maryland.

Excellent condition.