Barrie Cooke (b. 1931, d. 2014) Diana of the Tekapo II

A semi-naked figure with a hat on stands fishing knee deep in a whirling cascade of luminous blue and green reflections. The shimmering, sunlit colours suggesting an overseas destination as much as the painting’s title which links it to the Tekapo lake in New Zealand, renowned for its turquoise waters and shores of purple lupins. Cooke’s large, loose brushstrokes dominate the composition, while a vibrant corner of mauve and violet hues suggest the famous flowers that border the lake.

Cooke originally enrolled at Harvard University to study marine biology but then discovered his desire to paint. He was a master angler and made many fishing trips to New Zealand. While the brightness and purity of Lake Tekapo contrast with the marshy rivers and mountainous terrain in many of Cooke’s Irish paintings, the reference to Diana, goddess of the hunt, creates a mythical framework that links this work to his many paintings of the fabled Irish king Sweeney, one of which is also in the UCC Art Collection.