- 63
Hughie O'Donoghue
Estimate
15,000 - 20,000 GBP
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Description
- Hughie O'Donoghue
- Oil and Water II
- titled, signed and dated 2000 on the reverse
- oil and photograph on linen canvas
- 209 by 181cm., 82 by 71in.
Provenance
Purdy Hicks Gallery, London, where purchased by the present owner in 2000
Exhibited
London, Purdy Hicks Gallery, Hughie O'Donoghue, Smoke Signals, 2000, no.9, illustrated
Condition
Original canvas. The work appears in good overall condition.
Under ultraviolet light areas flouresce but these are a result of pigments used by the artist and not retouchings.
Unframed.
"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."
"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."
Catalogue Note
The present work belongs to Hughie O'Donoghue's Smoke Signals series, which explores as its subject the retreat of the British army through Belgium and France in 1940, where men crossed rivers and seas in order to escape or survive. In the largest martime loss of life by the British in the war, the rescue vessel the Lancastria sank off the coast of St Nazaire on 19 May 1940, with more than 5000 men on board. Many never escaped the hold, and those who did found themselves drowning in a mixture of water and fuel oil. Equipped with this knowledge, the intensity of the present image is undeniable.
The disaster is now largely consigned to history - forgotten - but O'Donoghue's paintings seek to point to the truth. Not directly however, as O'Donoghue commented on his introduction to the series, the paintings 'translate rather than illustrate'. In the sight of the ghostly figure drifting through the layered textures and dark pigments of the present work, the power of O'Donoghue's image succeeds in demanding further reflection of the viewer. The purpose? 'To point a finger in the direction of the past, to memorialize in a way that engenders prudence and regard for the future' (O'Donoghue, Purdy Hicks, 2000, introduction to exh. cat).