# I am a revolutionary Easter 1916

Easter 2016

# I am a revolutionary

 

Seven Signatories of 1916 Easter Rising

 

I attended my fathers small two-room national school in a country parish in County Cavan. On the walls of the school was tacked a slightly worn-at-the-edges large hard-card print of the Irish Proclamation of 1916. It was hung at the reading-eye level of a small and wondering Irish child.

 

The Republic ... declares its resolve to pursue the happiness and prosperity of the whole nation and of all its parts, cherishing all of the children of the nation equally, and oblivious of the differences carefully fostered by an alien Government, which have divided a minority from the majority in the past.

I found it an extraordinary read in among the more numerous hand-made posters declining the Irish irregular verbs known as "Sean's Verbs" and a green cross code safety poster.

"Beireann Sean ar a rothar agus teann se amach faoin tuath
... that's the green cross code."

The Proclamation with it's super large intro and the ALLCAPS names of the executed men lying-in-state at the bottom right of the oddly-typeset print served as a measuring rod to gauge the grand-children of that Easter revolution - Fianna Fail and Gael and their rubbishy 1980's economic & political hypocrisy. Even this child could see that the ideal versus the reality did not measure up.

At home in the evening there were a lot of books and encyclopedia of all sorts including a book of Padraig Pearse's poetry and verse.

Get the 7 Signatories Wall Art Here 
 

The FOOL by P.H.Pearse

"Since the wise men have not spoken, I speak that am only a fool;
A fool that hath loved his folly,
...
A fool that in all his days hath done never a prudent thing,
...
A fool that is unrepentant, and that soon at the end of all
Shall laugh in his lonely heart as the ripe ears fall to the reaping-hooks
And the poor are filled that were empty, Tho' he go hungry.

I have squandered the splendid years that the Lord God gave to my youth
In attempting impossible things, deeming them alone worth the toil. "
 

THE IMPOSSIBLE & DREAMERS

Maybe we should still all attempt the impossible; something is only impossible until it's not. And of course 'the impossible' is always a foreign place where 'it can't be done' is the unrelenting motto of the un-dreamers.

One of the good things about visual art is it is direct and subjective. The Artist alone can say the "It is finished" when and if he wants, & then turn away from the easel or Mac with it done. No need to arrange record or change a word. The artwork is 'what it is' up to that moment - mistakes, irregularities blemishes and all it's not-quite-perfect perfection.
 

# I am a revolutionary.

The rising took place in Dublin (mostly) over Easter week 100 years ago. Seven ordinary Irish men signed an inflammatory and seditious document that stood against King and Empire knowing it meant certain death for themselves.

After much dawdling and having this project on my to-do list, this past week I finally got to it and I created seven hand drawn and digitally colored portraits of the signatories to the 1916 Irish Proclamation. I have given it the working title of # I am a revolutionary.

These 7 portraits exist for 'themselves alone' and because I felt an artistic compulsion that needed a manifest answer.
But as part of a larger conversation taking place, I would also like to explore possibilities and places to present theses images and to have a reason to make prints of them for a possible public setting; as part of some 1916 dialogue or on their own-  be it in a venue, gallery, bar wall or your wall. We all need to step up and sign our name to something, sometime; even if it's only a picture of some dead Irish guys.

Reply, get in touch, your ideas or feedback on the project is welcome.

Happy Easter

Christ is Risen, Alleluia.



John