Daniel O'Neill

Bonhams, London, 28 November 2006, lot 49, where bought by the family of the present owner

STRUCTURE The board is sound. There are two very minor scratches near the centre of the upper edge otherwise the work appears in excellent overall condition. ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT Under UV light there appears to be a small area of retouching above the foremost girl's left elbow, near the upper edge. FRAME Held in a simple gilt frame.
"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."

With no formal training as an artist, Dan O'Neill developed a distinct style which earned him growing attention, not least from Victor Waddington who offered him a gallery contract in 1945. Previously, O'Neill had worked in a shipyard and as an electrician with painting an aside hobby, but it was for this unconventional background that Susan Stairs rightly commented, 'We must be grateful that O'Neill got to himself before instruction did. For if it were not so, it is unlikely that Ireland would have produced a painter of such sensual, sensitive, soulful and profound work. He is one of our greatest painters ('A Sense of Forlorn: Daniel O'Neill, Fortnight, 307, June 1992, p.16).

The force of O'Neill's individual style and exotic imagination is shown to full effect in Summer. It displays an influence of the Italian Primitivists, in which O'Neill was interested, with the bright continental scene replacing the bleaker nature of his Irish landscapes. Four women sitting and standing along the winding river bank present a dream-like vision. Their faces - dark, almond-shaped and simplified - are typical of his facial types, inspired by his wife Eileen, and enhance a sense of the surreal. The allure of the figure in the foreground encapsulates the comments of artist and critic Cecil Salkeld, 'It is her face that looks at you again and again...always that dark wonder in her eyes, that imperceptible smile upon her lips' (The Hunter Gatherer, The Collection of George and Maura McClelland at the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin, 2005, p.52).

The scene is most likely fictitious, O'Neill having based himself largely in Belfast and London, only travelling once to Paris. As such, Summer is a powerful portrayal of O'Neill's independent vision - here a sultry reverie into which he invites the viewer.