| Description | Large portfolio containing original artworks by Cornelius McCarthy. The portfolio is labelled 'PF2, Photo, Doc'. The artworks are uncatalogued and includes both pencil and paint works, mainly on paper but two are on canvas fabric. Some works have been created on the back of legal (headed) paper which is annotated with notes (unrelated to the artwork). Also included are several art gallery posters, two are signed poster for a Herb Rites exhibition and the Hamiltons gallery (London), both are dated 1990.
The following additional information about the contents was established at a meeting with the depositor, Stan Lloyd and Terry Cowley (fellow artist and friend of Cornelius) on 25 March 2019.
The portfolio mostly consists of early work by Cornelius and includes:
- poster with Cornelius' design for the War Requiem concert at Westminster Central Hall, 1994;
- picture possibly of Cornelius' brother, Owen, a colour sketch (mixed media: crayon and pencil), head and shoulders.
- some artwork which has been created on the back of typed RAF forms, Cornelius was in the RAF from Feb 1954 - Oct 1955 (when he was demobbed) so that dates the artwork created on the back of these forms to the mid 1950s;
- Terry Cowley is the subject of an artwork from 1959 (which has 'Lease' written on it);
- artwork of one of Cornelius' nephews, most likely Peter John Rampling, c. 1959/1960;
- portrait of Alec Ayres from the late 1950s (in colour, gouache paint and conte pastel) and another pencil drawing of him;
- includes a still life of irises (oil on canvas);
- some work from when Con was at art school (e.g. rabbit, on linen canvas, two works dated Nov 1955 when he was an art student);
- one artwork that shows the influence of Keith Vaughan;
- drawing of Patricia Holland 'Peggy' who worked in Mile End Library in the late 1950s;
- Cornelius' mother is the subject of one of the artworks;
- drawing of St. George-in-the-East Church;
- partial small sketch page with notes and lists etc;
- some religious themed works, one dated 1992 and others undated;
- some examples of work Cornelius created using calendars as a base (by drawing over the calendars);
- one piece of artwork created by a child, 'Harris, S'. |