Irish open 1985 painting

HarshOstrich

I was cleaning out the attic recently and came across this painting of the 1985 carrols Irish open, its older than me but belonged to my aunt,I am guessing that the golfer in the bunker is seve since he won it but can’t be sure, can’t find anything online about it, has anyone any info about the picture or where to get more info.

Seve OB

that's cool
are you selling?

PARlance

HarshOstrich wrote: »

I was cleaning out the attic recently and came across this painting of the 1985 carrols Irish open, its older than me but belonged to my aunt,I am guessing that the golfer in the bunker is seve since he won it but can’t be sure, can’t find anything online about it, has anyone any info about the picture or where to get more info.

You could start with the arstist, he's relatively famous, Ralph Steadman.

www.goldmarkart.com/gallery/ralph-steadman

HarshOstrich

I emailed the artist but haven’t got a reply yet, I do like it so I might end up keeping it but would like to find out more info on the painting

Spideog Rua

That's really cool

prawnsambo

Is that an original or a print? I'd assume a print, since originals are apparently very rare. But definitely worth checking out.

HarshOstrich

prawnsambo wrote: »

Is that an original or a print? I'd assume a print, since originals are apparently very rare. But definitely worth checking out.

I have no idea, how would I check that, the back of the frame is sealed and looks like it has never been opened since it was put in there.

prawnsambo

HarshOstrich wrote: »

I have no idea, how would I check that, the back of the frame is sealed and looks like it has never been opened since it was put in there.

The back is usually taped on with brown tape, so you can peel the tape off and remove the back. Sometimes the back is also held in with little flat metal 'pins' which can be pulled out with a needle-nose pliers but generally not if the back is being taped on as well. Would be very hard to tell if it was original or not without doing this.

HarshOstrich

Not an original unfortunately, took it out and it seems like a cardboard copy

FrancieBrady

He did a lot of newspaper illustration. Might have originated as part of a souvenir supplement for one of the Irish papers.

HarshOstrich

I got a reply from my email and it said it was part of advertising campaign for the tournament and 3 or 4 where made total,but they never said anything about prints being made.

FrancieBrady

HarshOstrich wrote: »

I got a reply from my email and it said it was part of advertising campaign for the tournament and 3 or 4 where made total,but they never said anything about prints being made.

Are you sure it is a print? This is probably done in watercolours or gouache so it would not be very thick paint.
Hold it horizontal and look along the surface and see can you see any build up of paint. Especially along the black linework.

Does it have a uniform surface gloss?

prawnsambo

HarshOstrich wrote: »

I got a reply from my email and it said it was part of advertising campaign for the tournament and 3 or 4 where made total,but they never said anything about prints being made.

It depends on what the three or four were. If they were al the same, it's possible that they were printed, though it's an expensive business printing such a small number. It's quite possible that they were all originals. Francie's description of how to check that is the way to go. If you get the light to reflect off it as you're looking at it side on, you should be able to tell immediately.

FrancieBrady

prawnsambo wrote: »

It depends on what the three or four were. If they were al the same, it's possible that they were printed, though it's an expensive business printing such a small number. It's quite possible that they were all originals. Francie's description of how to check that is the way to go. If you get the light to reflect off it as you're looking at it side on, you should be able to tell immediately.

There is also the potentially disappointing possibility that somebody just photocopied it themselves from the advertisement. Quite common.

prawnsambo

FrancieBrady wrote: »

There is also the potentially disappointing possibility that somebody just photocopied it themselves from the advertisement. Quite common.

Is that really likely in 1985? Colour photocopiers were very expensive machines back then and wouldn't have been widely available. Large format ones even more so. Also, there should be very obvious fading over that time.

FrancieBrady

prawnsambo wrote: »

Is that really likely in 1985? Colour photocopiers were very expensive machines back then and wouldn't have been widely available. Large format ones even more so.

Rare but possible. We could do it in college in the early 80's

Also, there should be very obvious fading over that time.

Very true.

HarshOstrich

New reply

Hi,
The only way to tell if it is a print is take it out of its frame and see if you can feel the ink or not.
It might well be an original as those originals are not in the archive. We only have the newspaper adverts. It would be brilliant to get a high res scan of it if is an original.
Let me know if you take it out of its frame.
Also, if it is an original you might want to list it on your house insurance for £10,000.

FrancieBrady

HarshOstrich wrote: »

New reply

Hi,
The only way to tell if it is a print is take it out of its frame and see if you can feel the ink or not.
It might well be an original as those originals are not in the archive. We only have the newspaper adverts. It would be brilliant to get a high res scan of it if is an original.
Let me know if you take it out of its frame.
Also, if it is an original you might want to list it on your house insurance for £10,000.

wow!
Proceed carefully from here on in!

HarshOstrich

FrancieBrady wrote: »

wow!
Proceed carefully from here on in!

I will have to check it out again later but it felt too smooth when I checked it last night, will have to get an artist to check it out to be sure.

FrancieBrady

HarshOstrich wrote: »

I will have to check it out again later but it felt too smooth when I checked it last night, will have to get an artist to check it out to be sure.

Never thought of the possibility that it was done in inks. That will be a smoother finish and might look to an untrained eye to be print.

Definitely time to get it properly assessed. Best of luck!

prawnsambo

HarshOstrich wrote: »

I will have to check it out again later but it felt too smooth when I checked it last night, will have to get an artist to check it out to be sure.

The inks will show up if you look at it from the edge under light. There will be slight ridges and you won't get an unbroken reflection from the light source if it's a print.

But it sounds awfully like it's an original. By all means get it looked at by an expert.

Edit: Just to explain that drawing in pen and ink will cause slight indents in the paper that wouldn't happen in the priinting process. Looking at it from the edge with a light source reflecting off it will show up those slight indents and ridges. This is all very exciting.

RoadRunner

Caddy wearing player's gear, and holding golf bag WHILE tending the flag. Completely factually incorrect, will take off your hands for 20 bucks due to these inaccuracies

Great image, whether original or not.

FrancieBrady

RoadRunner wrote: »

Caddy wearing player's gear, and holding golf bag WHILE tending the flag. Completely factually incorrect, will take off your hands for 20 bucks due to these inaccuracies

Great image, whether original or not.

The OP at the moment...

Joe_ Public

Nice thread this. I've always taken an interest in Ralph Steadman ever since reading Hunter S Thompson's The Kentucky Derby many years ago. Hope it all checks out.

HarshOstrich

I still haven’t got the chance to get the picture checked out, will do so over the weekend.
Sorry to keep you all in suspense.

shutup

At least one of the years in the 80s a page with about 30 cardboard cards came with the Carroll’s Irish open program.
You could then pop the cards out individually.
The cards were charactures very like your picture. Maybe it was part of the same promotion campaign.
I would love to buy a program and cards now if anyone has them.

lowelife

Intrigued to know if the OP is now off sunning himself and retired based on the valuation and sale of said picture

shutup

Any update on this?