Frank McKelvey RHA RUA (1895-1974) Feeding Chickens at the Back of the House oil on canvas signed

Frank McKelvey RHA RUA (1895-1974) Feeding Chickens at the Back of the House oil on canvas signed lower right 45½ x 61cm (17.91 x 24.02in) Provenance: Private Collection McKelvey was born in Belfast in 1895 He attended the Belfast School of Art and won the 'Sir Charles Brett' prize in 1912 He started exhibiting in the RHA in 1918 and was granted full membership in 1930 In 1921 he became a member of the Belfast Art Society. 'Feeding Chickens at the Back of the House' is a subject that McKelvey painted regularly in the 1920's and throughout his career. In his papers he later stated that "It was through this opportunity that I was able to study poultry in all effects of sunlight - a subject in which I have always been deeply interested". McKelvey was influenced by artists such as Walter Osborne (1859-1903) and Jean-Francois Millet (1814-1875). The subject matter of this painting is instinctively recognisable to McKelvey admirers.