Carey Clarke was born in Donegal in 1936. A student of the highest standard of European art, Clarke journeyed from St Andrew’s College in Dublin to The National College of Art and Design (1954-1959), furthering his training at the Salzburg International Summer School Academy of Fine Arts (1969), in Florence (1976-1977) and at Slade School of Fine Art in London (1991).
His accumulated knowledge and skill naturally guided him towards teaching. He enjoyed a long career at the National College of Art and Design spanning from 1959 to 1995 (his full-time position starting in 1968). This respectable tenure, however, was not without its trials. Indeed, novelty-hungry students quickly called his classical leanings into question, arguing that such a leaning stifled novelty and freedom of expression. A real chasm opposing tradition to the avant-garde was created around the figure and art of Clarke, which rendered his position and role highly challenging.
Despite criticism, he held on to his positions, namely at the National College of Art and Design where he continued to promote a more traditional approach to observational drawing and painting and persisted in influencing more tradition-embracing names of the following generation, such as Mick O’Dea, Joe Dunne, Maeve McCarthy and James Hanley.
Artistically, Clarke is celebrated for his landscapes, interiors and still lifes, but is also an accomplished portraitist who has captured many politicians, academics and other noticeable figures on his time. A skilled technician, the painter’s fluency with oil paint, tempera and watercolour partly explains his academic and traditionalist label.
Praised and celebrated by both critics and his peers, Clarke is a seminal name of traditional painting in Ireland.