Yanny's painting on show in the National Gallery of Ireland
Yanny's painting ‘The Plants We Played With’ will be on show at the National Gallery of Ireland from August 20th to November 24th 2024 as part of ‘In Real Life’, an exhibition which celebrates the beauty and fragility of nature through drawings and paintings from the Gallery’s permanent collection.Yanny is delighted that her painting is part of this beautiful exhibition.
‘The Plants We Played With’. Acrylic on gesso panel. 134cm x 90cm 2015
Plant names: Common Nettle Urtica dioica, Broadleaved Dock Rumex obtusiflius, Hogweed Heracleum sphondylium, Dandelion Taraxacum officinale,
Common Poppy Papaver Rhoeas,
Daisy Bellis perennis,
Ribwort Plantain Plantago lanceolata,
Cleavers Galium aparine,
Cock's foot Dactylis glomerata.
Why is the piece a combination of drawing and painting? Because memories can be sketchy, we paint them in our minds eye...The painted parts highlight the aspects of the plants that were traditionally used in childhood games.
The composition helps to join the narrative for those memories. For example the Nettle - dare to touch, is opposite the Dock - its antidote.
The Hogweed which made our pea shooters has the vetch entwined in it, the vetch pods contain the peas.
The Dandelion Clock is untouched - as in memories and time standing still.
The startling red of the Poppy catches the eye. We made little fairies from the flower heads. Fairies are part of childhood imagination, fantasies, the past.
The Daisy, modestly hiding amongst the other plants has lost one petal, 'He loves me....he loves me not'. Who knows the future or the outcome of the game?
Plantain soldiers, we hit the heads off each others soldiers. Is this the last man standing?
The Stickies, or Cleavers have woven themselves amongst the plants, they stick to everything with their little hairs. We used to throw them at each other.
The grasses with which we made whistling sounds are mingling in the field or hedgerow scene. Often sound evokes the strongest memories.