Adam's Important Irish Art Auction Tuesday 27th March 2018

18 12 DANIEL O’NEILL (1920-1974) Country Cart Oil on board, 35 x 46cm (13¾ x 18’’) Signed; inscribed with title verso Provenance: With the Waddington Galleries (label verso). This work was probably executed between 1953- 1955 when O’Neill was living in Co. Down with his partner Sheilagh Dea- con. The work is stylistically similar to the ‘Balloon Seller’ (1953) and ‘Two Heads’ (1955). An energetic painter, O’Neill’s style changed a number of times from 1948-1955. In the early 1950’s, O’Neill reverted to an earlier expressionist style where elec- tric colour evoked emotion and dramatic light caused melancholy but in 1953, O’Neill’s exhibition at Waddington Galleries showed a move away from romantic emotion and introduced a sweeter palette and a fairyland narrative. Detail becomes less important and brushwork and subject matter are more in keeping with the Impressionists. Born in Belfast, O’Neill had little orthodox training except for a few classes at the College of Art, Belfast. Working as an electrical engineer, he began painting full time after meeting the Dublin dealer, Victor Waddington in 1945. Several one man shows followed and he was also represented in several overseas exhibitions organized by Waddington. In 1954 O’Neill exhibited in at least two American shows, and held a joint exhibition with Colin Middleton at Tooth’s Galleries in London. Preoccupied with painting techniques throughout his life, O’Neill was fascinated with the effects of texture on the painting surface. In the 1940’s, liquid paint was applied to the surface in layers but in this composition paint is dragged, scumbled and scrapped away to hold the viewer’s attention. Facing the viewer, a family in a cart with their animals directly faces the viewer. Wrapped in a shawl a mother protects her child during a stop in their journey. The cart and animals suggest a rural location, but the environment is illusive. Little de- tail is provided but the focus is on concern and guardianship of a family as they travel on a journey. Susan Stairs stated that ‘O’Neill drew his subject matter from his life’s experiences‘, and imbued it with his own passionate nature. Being a man who felt deeply about life, his work often betrayed his own feeling.’ (The Irish Figurists, Dublin, 1990 pg. 138) Karen Reihill, March 2018 € 6,000 - 8,000