99 / 106
WHYTES
SINCE 1783
,
S
1
64
Daniel O’Neill (1920-1974)
STUDIO INTERIOR
oil on board
signed lower right; titled on Associated American Artists, New York exhibition label on reverse
20 by 24in. (51 by 61cm)
Provenance:
Associated American Artists, New York;
Private collection;
Sotheby’s, 13 May 2004, lot 103;
Private collection
In this work O’Neill shows his preference for rich, luminous colours contrasting against dark, dramatic tones.The composition,
predominated by cool blues and vibrant yellows, captures an artist seated before a blank canvas while observing two female models
posing before him.The work conveys a general feeling of thoughtful stillness while the artist contemplates his task. None of the
figures look out at the viewer with only their profiles being visible; this enhances the sense of us, the audience, intruding on a scene
which presents its inhabitants in an unguarded manner. A work which deals with a similar subject is titled
The Beginning
. Although
stylistically a later work, in it too, the artist is faced with a blank canvas, ready to begin to capture the reclining model before him.
€
30,000-
€
40,000 (£24,000-£32,000 approx.)
