Roderic O'Conor

Studio Sale, Hotel Drouot, Paris, 1956;
Collection of Roger and Suzanne Jouve, France;
Thierry Lannon, Brest, November 2014;
Private collection

Original canvas. A small patch on the reverse of the work denotes a minor repaired tear in line with the yellow chair but this is not visible from the front and the work appears in very good overall condition, ready to hang. Ultraviolet light reveals some minor flecks of retouching, mainly located on the woman's white robe, which have been well executed. The '911' of the date may have been strengthened. Held in a gilt plaster frame with a canvas inset.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Woman with a Violin belongs to O'Conor's intimiste period, 1905–12, when he loosened his brushwork and blurred his outlines so as to convey the interpenetration of light and form within domestic spaces. The large southwest-facing windows of the Irishman's Montparnasse studio proved to be conducive to the creation and capturing of such effects, as evidenced by the artist's extended series of figure paintings and still lifes. That this style appealed to discerning members of O'Conor's circle is confirmed by the floral still lifes acquired directly from him by the distinguished art critics Roger Fry and Clive Bell (Tate and Charleston Trust, Sussex respectively). 

The present painting depicts a young woman plucking a violin whilst seated on a simple wooden chair placed in front of a heavily framed studio mirror. A restricted palette of colours has been chosen, chiefly pink, blue and white, the main elements of the composition having been established using a rag dipped in diluted paint. The same approach, working the warm and cool tones into a white ground whilst keeping the paint layer thin, may be seen in other studies of female models that O'Conor painted during this period, such as Bleu et rose of 1911. In the present work, however, the focus is more directly on the model and less on the context of the room setting. The glazes of pink, red and orange applied to the face create a suffused and warm glow that is particularly reminiscent of the late portraits of Renoir, an artist O’Conor greatly admired. The model’s voluminous sleeves are part of a loose-fitting all-in-one garment which could be a kimono, an article of exotic 'artistic' dress that was fashionable in the early years of the twentieth century. The large mirror that closes off the background (though the reflections show more of the room) is the same one that appears in Reclining Nude before a Mirror dating from 1909 (National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin), with the difference that here the figure's reflection is not shown, but rather the shadowy framework of the artist's easel. That O'Conor was drawn to the ambiguous juxtaposition of real and reflected forms is apparent from his seemingly casual placement of mirrors adjacent to his models, thereby expanding the limits of perceivable space.  

Woman with a Violin is the only figure composition in which O'Conor featured a musical instrument. He was doubtless aware of the Cubists' inclusion of violins in their still lifes and of Matisse's use of it as a prop in his figure compositions, such as La musique of 1910. By making such a direct reference to the art of music, O'Conor may well have sought to emulate his contemporaries. Alternatively, it is possible that the model casually picked up the violin he owned and plucked a few notes on it, her expression of rapt attention and her slight frown immediately striking him as the perfect subject for a picture.

O'Conor's habit of playing the violin was one he shared with Henri Matisse, and it drew comment from Clive Bell in his memoirs: "He [O’Conor] played the violin – to himself. Rarely did he make the immense effort of going to a concert, though he loved music. ... In music his taste was austere, and he would snarl at [James Wilson] Morrice for his 'romanticism' and 'laxity'." (Clive Bell, Old Friends, London 1988, p. 167). 

Jonathan Benington