The first colour James Joyce introduces in Ulysses is yellow—“a yellow dressing gown.” A fitting choice, in my opinion, as yellow embodies both optimism and caution. It is the colour of sunlight, intellect, and energy, yet too much of it can signal a warning. Perhaps Joyce, ever the master of layered meanings, was subtly cautioning us about the challenging journey ahead.
Other colours quickly follow—“pale oak,” “white corpuscles,” “white teeth,” and “gold points”—each making their way into this artwork. But yellow remains the most striking. It is the colour I gravitated toward when I began this painting in July 2022, surrounded by sunflowers in the garden of my yet-to-be-renovated Hungarian home. Their golden vibrance, like a beacon of optimism, seeped into my brushstrokes.
Stephen Dedalus: A Name Steeped in Myth
This opening page also introduces us to Stephen Dedalus—Joyce’s intellectual and introspective protagonist. According to The Joyce Project, Stephen Dedalus is an autobiographical persona, first appearing in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. But it was the name itself—Dedalus—that demanded deeper exploration.
In Greek mythology, Daedalus was a master craftsman, the father of Icarus and Iapyx. His most famous creation, the labyrinth of Crete, was a marvel of ingenuity. Yet, it is his son Icarus who is most remembered—flying too close to the sun with his wax wings, defying the limits set for him, and ultimately falling to his doom.
Perhaps you can see echoes of this myth in the composition of my painting: a golden radiance at the centre, flanked by textured strokes that resemble wings. The thick, deliberate brushwork represents the pages of Ulysses—a book as dense and intricate as Daedalus’ labyrinth itself.
The Weight of Page One
This was no easy painting to create. The first page of Ulysses carries a weight of significance, a beginning that demands reverence. I laboured over this piece, revisiting it time and time again, sometimes studying it for days without lifting a brush, other times working instinctively. There was a point when the painting spoke back—I knew it was finished.
Much like Ulysses itself, this artwork is layered with meaning, rich in texture, and unapologetically bold. A reflection of both Joyce’s literary labyrinth and the golden ambition of those who dare to step inside.
Colours of Ulysses Family Member #001
Shortly after being exhibited for the first time Colours of Ulysses #001 was sold to Mr Matty Ryan. An Irishman living in Budapest. I delivered the original to him the day after it was exhibited at the Irish Ambassador’s Residence in Budapest as part of his Bloomsday Brunch celebrations in 2023
