Meet the artist: John Behan
John Behan is known for his remarkable and numerous public sculptures, such as the vast 'National Famine Memorial' in County Mayo or 'Arrival' sited at the United Nations building in New York
John Behan RHA is firmly established as a sculptor of international stature and can be credited with playing a major part in the development of sculpture in Ireland over the last 50 years.
Born in Dublin in 1938, he began an apprenticeship in metalwork and welding before moving on to formal training at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, Ealing Art College in London and the Royal Academy School in Oslo.
He became a member of the Royal Hibernian Academy in 1990, having been an Associate of the Academy since 1973. He is also a member of Aosdána and was conferred an honorary Doctor of Literature by NUI Galway in 2000.
Behan's work is highly expressive; his pieces are marked by an initially perceived roughness that quickly melts into a surprising delicacy of form. Crafted in a white or brown patina or with a polished bronze surface, each piece is as individual and captivating as the next, reflecting often-difficult themes of Irish history and identity in a remarkably subtle way.
Behan is known for his remarkable and numerous public sculptures, such as the vast 'National Famine Memorial' in County Mayo or 'Arrival' sited at the United Nations building in New York.
His Walking into Eternity exhibition recently opened at the Solomon Gallery, Dublin and is a must see.
See: solomonfineart.ie.
How my artistic journey began
I began drawing and painting at the age of four or five in Sheriff Street Infant School and have not stop creating since. At 15, I got my early technical training as an apprentice with J&C McGloughlin Ironworks in Dublin and then studied at North Strand Technical College where I focused my attentions on the art classes run by Bill O'Brien.
Where the title for my current show came from:
The title is taken from James Joyce's Ulysses when Stephen Dedalus is walking across Sandymount Strand with his eyes closed and is cogitating about the universe. During his stream-of-consciousness/inner monologue he asks himself the eternal question "am I walking into eternity?"
What I want my audience to feel when viewing my work
I want visitors to my exhibition to feel the futility of war and the suffering of innocent people in Gaza and Lebanon, and all displaced people. I offer art and creativity as an alternative to war and brutal nihilism - as Albert Camus said: "There is no philosophy worth the spilling of one drop of a child's blood."
Artists who have influenced me:
Artists who have influenced me are those who created both ancient and classical Greek sculpture, primitive sculpture of all nations, African sculpture, Michelangelo, Donatello, Auguste Rodin, Van Gogh, Picasso, Henry Moore, F.E McWilliam, Marino Marini, David Smith, Eduardo Chillida, Alberto Giacometti, Julio Gonzalez.
An artist whose work I would collect if I could
Vincent Van Gogh. When I was younger and learning about art there was limited imagery available to me in books, but Van Gogh really stood out and I latched onto him from an early age.
A place that means a lot to me
Inishbofin Island, Co Galway. It was always a place of inspiration from the very first time I went there in 1969. I find it so easy to relax and think and work there.
A place I'd like to visit
Athens & the Greek Islands
In another life I would have been
An imaginative writer? -People who know me are aware I read a lot. I learned to read very early on, and I was lucky in that my grandfather had inherited a library collection from a big house which belonged to an Anglo Irish family called McLaren in Co Laois. Every summer I dug into the books. It was boy's adventure stuff mostly but that is where I could use my imagination and concentrate on what I was doing. It was wonderful for me as a small child.
The best piece of advice I ever received
"Never give up", Auguste Rodin. (This was Rodin's advice to RM Rilke, the poet who had once been his secretary).
