Irish Art
Irish Art
Auction Closed
November 19, 03:20 PM GMT
Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
RODERIC O'CONOR
1860 - 1940
NATURE MORTE AUX POIRES
signed and dated l.r.: R O'Conor 96
oil on canvas
45.5 by 54.5cm., 18 by 21½in.
Hotel Drouot, Paris, Vent O'Conor, 7 February 1956;
Libert, Paris, 23 March 1981;
Private collection;
Private collection from 2006
Jonathan Benington, Roderic O'Conor, Dublin, 1992, no.47 (as Still life with pitcher, jug and pears), p.195
Following Gauguin’s final departure from France in 1895, the Pont-Aven School entered a period of dispersal and retrenchment. In O’Conor’s case, showing loyalty to Gauguin’s championing of the primitive over the civilised, removal to a more remote location within Brittany was the answer. Settling in rural Rochefort-en-terre, far from the amenities of the railway and busy hostelries, he rethought his approach, temporarily abandoning landscapes in favour of still lifes and figure subjects evincing a more restrained commitment to stylistic experiment.
In paintings such as the present work he avoided overtly expressive gestures and colours so as to let the subject speak for itself. The composition retains the simplicity of his earlier still lifes of fruit, with a few everyday objects arranged in a pyramidal configuration, but with the added introduction – probably for the first time – of brightly coloured drapes. The pink and red cloths contribute a decorative dimension, complementing the green pears, whilst emphasising the role of stage-setting in preparing this work. Precedents can be found in Gauguin’s Still Life – Fête Gloanec displayed in Pont-Aven’s Hôtel Gloanec, showing two pears on a vermilion table, as well as the earthy still lifes with allusions to Japanese prints painted by Meyer de Haan and Gauguin as part of their decorative scheme for Marie Henry’s inn at Le Pouldu. However, the Irishman’s independence shines through in his uncluttered design and avoidance of Synthetist outlines.
Jonathan Benington