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Daniel O’Neill (1920-1974)
FLORENCE
oil on board
signed lower left
24.50 by 18.50in. (62.23 by 46.99cm)
O’Neill painted still lives, landscapes, religious pictures and many fgure
studies. Whether in the guise of the bride, the actress or the muse -
portraits of women remained a constant theme. His women, brooding and
often taken out of time, could be hauntingly archetypal and melancholic;
at other times dressed theatrically in historical costume.
In some works his fgures register correspondences with the sky or the
moon. In his painting Florence, however the background is neutralised so
as to focus on the subject. The face is stylised and her ‘Picasso’ eyes seem
to stare into the distance. O’Neill’s love of depicting pattern can be seen in
his simplifed treatment of the necklace; while the swirling brush stokes of
the cufs and collar of her dress underline the importance of texture for
him. Blue, a favourite choice, is the unifying dominant colour, linking
backdrop and fgure and recalling the decorative aspects of Renoir.
Prof. Liam Kelly
April, 2012
€25,000-€35,000 (£20,491-£28,688 approx).
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