Jack B. Yeats
1871-1857
Born London in London, 1871,Jack was son of painter John Butler Yeats and brother of famous poet William Butler Yeats. Jack B. Yeats spent much of his childhood in Sligo and was fascinated with Irish life and culture as depicted throughout his many paintings especially the countryside, the horse fairs and the circus. His style can be easily recognised due to his colourful palate and his application of thick impasto strokes. He often used the palate knife and sometimes his fingers to create urgency in a scene. He is influenced by both impressionist and expressionist styles.Chairoplanes captures the fun of the fairground with, movement and excitement illustrated by his use of colour and a composition which places the viewer somewhere below the swinging chairs .Jack B. Yeats features in all our National Collections and has a wing dedicated to his work at The National Gallery of Ireland, which is worth a visit.