Aloysius O'Kelly RHA
Artist Bio
Aloysius O’Kelly (1853-1936) was an Irish landscape artist, figurative painter and orientalist. He employed a diverse range of genres during his career, including realism, impressionism and Pre-Raphaelite-style. O’Kelly studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris under Jean-Léon Gérôme and Léon Bonnat, travelling regularly thereafter to Pont Aven, Egypt and the United States. He came from a deeply creative family and his two brothers, Charles and Stephen also went on to become artists, with his eldest brother James J. O’Kelly taking up a life in Nationalist politics. James was arrested in 1881 in Dublin for his political activities, having a noticeable effect on the artist’s work, with several of Aloysius’ illustrations and paintings around that time reflecting the political situation. O' Kelly's work often narrated the survival of an Irish peasant leading to gradual empowerment.
The artist exhibited in London, Paris, New York and with the Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA) in Dublin. His paintings can be found in several public and private collections, including the National Gallery of Ireland.