Meet the Artist with Peter Monaghan: ‘I’d like people to have a visceral connection with my work’
Dublin-born Peter Monaghan attended the National College of Art and Design in the mid-1970s. After graduating, he joined Dara O’Lochlainn’s graphic design firm, before starting his own successful design company.
In 2000, he gave up design work to concentrate full-time on his artistic practice.
“My work is the result of a disciplined research into the experience of looking – the experience of pure visual sensation and aesthetic pleasure. Simple forms and colours are used in repetition to engage the viewer. It is a dialogue about light, colour, movement and illusion; exploring the relationships and contrasts between painted flat surfaces, protruding spheres, cubes or geometric shapes. I would like my audience to have a visceral connection with my work. I hope that the joy which I experience in creating the paintings is evident and that enjoyment is passed on to the viewer.”
Monaghan has since had numerous solo and group exhibitions in Ireland, the UK, across Europe, Asia and the United States. His work is subject to a Netflix documentary- ‘Peter Monaghan - A Portrait’ and he has worked on large-scale, site-specific installations in Ireland, Europe and the Middle East.
His current exhibition, ‘Perspectives’, explores the relationship between the artist and viewer and runs until May 7 at Gormleys, Dublin; see: gormleys.ie
How my artistic journey began
I remember starting to draw and paint constantly from about eight years of age and I haven’t stopped since. After working in graphic design for 20 years, I took the decision to leave it in the year 2000 to concentrate on painting full-time.
Artists who have influenced me
Bridget Riley, Victor Vasarely, Soto, Picasso, Miro.
I have a collection of
Illustrated children’s books, vinyl records and paintings.
An artist whose work I would collect if I could:
Bridget Riley.
A place that means a lot to me
Cadiz in Andalucia in the south of Spain. My wife, Audrey, and I have been visiting Cadiz for a number of years and love the food, the wine, the light and above all else, the people. It is a place I go to recharge my batteries and come up with new ideas.
A place I’d like to visit
I’m really looking forward to visiting Japan for the first-time next September. Having been inspired by Japanese art all my life I’m really looking forward to an exciting trip.
In another life I would have been
An architect or a photographer.
The best piece of advice I ever received
This came very early on in life and was given by my first art teacher. While looking at a pencil drawing of mine I was told to put my eraser away as erasing mistakes was not allowed. I have applied this to my art and indeed to life in general ever since.
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