Beschreibung:

Daniel O'Neill (1920-1974)
Signature: signed lower right; titled on reverse
Medium: oil on board
Size: 21 x 14in. (53.34 x 35.56cm) Provenance: de Veres, 15 June 2009, lot 36; Private collection Writing about Daniel O'Neill's work in 1949, Cecil ffrench Salkeld noted that 'for the past three or four years, [he] is luxuriating in his newly-won liberty and painting picture after picture of astonishing richness in texture, with an apparently in...Read more Writing about Daniel O'Neill's work in 1949, Cecil ffrench Salkeld noted that 'for the past three or four years, [he] is luxuriating in his newly-won liberty and painting picture after picture of astonishing richness in texture, with an apparently inexhaustible fertility.' (1) The 'liberty' Salkeld was referring to was undoubtedly that conferred by gallerist Victor Waddington, who had taken the artist on in 1945, providing O'Neill with a much needed income. From that date O'Neill was able to focus on his painting without distraction, having previously worked as an electrician and housepainter in Belfast and London. Stage Girls echoes a number of works completed by O'Neill through the late 1940s and into the 1950s which focus on three-quarter length portraits of one or two figures - usually women. The hair bow, high-necked lace collar, and striped silk blouse of the blonde woman recalls late-nineteenth century fashions, perhaps more akin to Degas's ballet girls than the chorus girls of O'Neill's own time: the artist stayed in the French capital in 1948 for around six months, immersing himself in the riches of the city's museums and galleries. The painting's second figure also sports a high coiffeur and black velvet neckband, also echoing this earlier style. The surface of the painting is richly textured, with some areas showing layers of paint that have been applied and then scraped back, adding depth and luminescence to the composition. The stillness and sorrow of both figures' expressions adds a solemn air to the painting, but highlights O'Neill's skill in creating a sense of mystery in his work. The Waddington frame seen on Stage Girls is a testament to the relationship between O'Neill and Waddington. Several solo exhibitions of the artist's work were held at the Dublin gallery through the 1940s and 1950s, as well as in London, Belfast, Montreal and other North American cities. O'Neill left Ireland for London in the late 1950s, before returning to Belfast in 1969, where he continued to develop his evocative and expressive style. Dr Kathryn Milligan February 2020 Footnote: 1. Cecil Ffrench Salkeld, 'Daniel O'Neill, A Critical Appreciation', Envoy, 1:1, December 1949