Return To Stormont (2023). Original artwork by Ross Eccles.
Size & Type
39cm x 23cm. Watercolour on Langton Paper.
About the Artwork
Stormont is the popular name by which many refer to the Parliament Buildings in Northern Ireland, because they are situated on the Stormont Estate, which also houses Stormont Castle, Stormont House and a number of other buildings. The Parliament Buildings were designed by architect Arnold Thornely, and constructed by Stewart & Partners. The building was purpose designed and built to house the new parliament in the 1920's and 1930's, and in the late 1990's became the permanent home to the new Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive, following the Good Friday Agreement.
The main building is 365ft long, one foot for every day of the year. There are six floors and six pillars at the entrance - one for each county of Northern Ireland.
The parliament buildings have many elaborate architectural features inside and out, and are built in a classical Green style, which Ross has beautifully captured here in glorious colour, giving the building a unique sense of life and movement.
Ross says
"I have meant to paint Stormont on a number of occasions recently & couldn’t decide on a suitable viewpoint until I saw an image that triggered the above pen & watercolour. The building is quite stark and uninspiring in many ways, so I added the crowds to fill the foreground. The title seems so suitable for the current political impasse!"