- 111
Daniel O'Neill 1920-1974
Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 GBP
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Description
- Daniel O'Neill
- family group
- signed l.r.: D O'Neill
- oil on canvas
- 76 by 63.5cm.; 30 by 25in.
Provenance
Waddington Galleries, Montreal
Catalogue Note
The bold colours and expressive handling of the present work clearly demonstrate the influence on O'Neill of Expressionist artists such as Vlaminck and Kirchner whilst the dominance of the female figure in the foreground may have been inspired by Old Master depictions of the Madonna and Child such as Leonardo da Vinci's Madonna and Child with St Anne (c.1507-1513, Louvre, Paris) that he may have experienced when visiting Paris at the end of the 1940s.
The subject of the present work however, owes rather more to his friend Gerard Dillon and to his enthusiasm for the people and landscapes of the West of Ireland (see lots 93 and 100). In Family Group, the matron sits prominently in the foreground wearing the traditional shawl and brightly coloured skirt characteristic of the dress worn in the west. In the background, the tall father strikes a protective pose around his daughters who are also wearing traditional dress. Moreover, the specific focus on the family, emphasized by the overt title, underlines the importance of the family unit in the fast disappearing traditional rural communities of Ireland.
O'Neill was himself an advocate of living a simple and uncomplicated life and moved with his family to a cottage in Conlig, Co.Down, in the early 1950s. One of his neighbours by his cottage there recalled that during storms, the artist would creep outside in the middle of the night in order to fully experience the natural effects of thunder and lightning. When asked about his night time wanderings, O'Neill answered simply, 'it was really beautiful with the lightning flashing through the trees' (O'Neill, quoted in James White, Gerard Dillon, Dublin 1994, p.41). His night time experiences were clearly responsible for the dramatic tones of the present work.
The subject of the present work however, owes rather more to his friend Gerard Dillon and to his enthusiasm for the people and landscapes of the West of Ireland (see lots 93 and 100). In Family Group, the matron sits prominently in the foreground wearing the traditional shawl and brightly coloured skirt characteristic of the dress worn in the west. In the background, the tall father strikes a protective pose around his daughters who are also wearing traditional dress. Moreover, the specific focus on the family, emphasized by the overt title, underlines the importance of the family unit in the fast disappearing traditional rural communities of Ireland.
O'Neill was himself an advocate of living a simple and uncomplicated life and moved with his family to a cottage in Conlig, Co.Down, in the early 1950s. One of his neighbours by his cottage there recalled that during storms, the artist would creep outside in the middle of the night in order to fully experience the natural effects of thunder and lightning. When asked about his night time wanderings, O'Neill answered simply, 'it was really beautiful with the lightning flashing through the trees' (O'Neill, quoted in James White, Gerard Dillon, Dublin 1994, p.41). His night time experiences were clearly responsible for the dramatic tones of the present work.