Lot 99: JOHN DOHERTY

JOHN DOHERTY B.1949 THE ODD COUPLE, OPEN FOR PETROL, CASTLETOWNBERE acrylic on canvas 82.5 by 122cm.; 32½ by 48in.

In the late 1970s, Doherty photographed multiple images of petrol stations around Ireland which later formed the basis of his series of paintings entitled Totems of the Highway.

The present work forms part of his ongoing study into the humanoid characteristics of specific petrol pumps and their relationship to the colours and form of their surrounding environments as well as their individual design that reflects the period in which they were made. In the present work, he has focused on two pumps in particular that he noticed in Castletownbere, West Cork.

Born in Kilkenny, Doherty trained as an architect in Dublin and subsequently moved to Australia and went on to study fine art at the National College of Art, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. Since then he developed the highly detailed super realist style of the present work and now splits his time between West Cork and Australia.