The Vanquished Writing History, a body of work comprising 18 large-scale portraits, are portraits of people, or their advocates, who find themselves marginalised, ostracised, vilified or disbelieved, and who have told their own story, making a positive contribution to Irish society, usually through activism or advocacy.
MacCormaic began painting the series in response to the well-known expression that ‘history is written by the victorious’. The artist wants to counter this by depicting people who are working against the established views and writing their own history. Those who have portraits painted are usually part of the élite, politicians, CEOs and archbishops. Simply painting a portrait of an ordinary person is an act of defiance. Although the dictionary meaning of vanquished is ‘utterly defeated’, MacCormaic uses vanquished as a one-word opposite of victorious.
Born in Dublin in 1961, MacCormaic grew up in Finglas. His style and approach has always been figurative and much of his earlier work was imbued with sardonic humour and included collage, printmaking and painting. Before leaving his job as a technician in Eircom in 2001, he had 6 one-man shows. As a mature student, he read History of Art at UCD and studied Fine Art at Dún Laoghaire IADT. MacCormaic has worked as a professional artist and teacher since graduating in 2006. The most recent exhibitions were Food Fight, in the Seamus Ennis Arts Centre in The Naul (2021) and Icons IIin the Tinahealy Courthouse (2022).
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Accessibility: The galleries are accessible with a wheelchair ramp, lift and portable gallery stools.
www.paulmaccormaic.com #TheVanquished
Image 01. Paul MacCormaic, Vicky Phelan, mother and women’s health campaigner, reclining at her home in Annacotty, County Limerick, 2023, Acrylic and oil on canvas, 122 x 145cm, Image courtesy of the artist.
02. Paul MacCormaic, Martin Collins, traveller rights activist, at his desk in Pavee Point, 2023, Acrylic and oil on canvas, 122 x 92cm, Image courtesy of the artist.