WHYTE'S EXCEPTIONAL IRISH ART MONDAY 7 DECEMBER 2020

106 65 Daniel O’Neill (1920-1974) DINNER IN THE GARDEN oil on board signed lower left 14 by 21in. (35.6 by 53.3cm) Frame Size: 21 by 28in. (53.3 by 71.1cm) Condition: This work appears to be in very good condition. Some dirt visible on linen mount. Work presented behind glass. Provenance: Adam’s, 27 May 2015, lot 90; Private collection Exhibited: ’Daniel O’Neill Exhibition’, Waddington Galleries, Dublin, March 1955, catalogue no. 8 Exhibited at Daniel O’Neill’s 1955 exhibition at the Waddington Galleries, Dublin, Dinner in the Garden is a lush and romantic evocation of a summer’s evening. Filled with vibrant greens, yellows and blues, the opposing poses of the two central figures guide the viewer’s attention to the richly laden table and the expanse of the garden in the background. Elsewhere, O’Neill bookends the table with youth and age through the figures of the child and man, the latter sporting a dashing ribbon necktie. In 1948, O’Neill visited Paris where, in addition to likely seeing works by the Impressionist painters, the artist was particularly drawn to the Fauvist paintings of Maurice de Vlaminck. In many respects the colouring of the present work recalls the richness of the Fauves, while the subject earlier works by artists such as Renoir and Monet, depicting outdoor lunches and picnics. Noting that the painting was exhibited under the title ‘Dinner in the Garden, 1925’, Anne Marie Keaveney suggests that in this work, O’Neill was recalling a childhood experience. 1 The dream-like atmosphere created by the artist’s palette and technique supports this, offering a sense of a memory translated into colour and form. Dr Kathryn Milligan November 2020 1 See Anne Marie Keaveney, Daniel O’Neill, 1920 - 1974 (MLitt, University College Dublin, 2007). €15,000-€20,000 (£13,330-£17,780 approx.) Click here for more images and to bid on this lot65