Adam's IMPORTANT IRISH ART 9th December 2020

28 23 DANIEL O’NEILL (1920-1974) Horseman Pass By Oil on board, 51 x 69cm (20 x 27¼’’) Signed; inscribed verso Provenance: Purchased from the artist in 1971 by George and Maura McClelland; sold privately c.1980; The Irish Sale, Sotheby’s, 21st May 1999, Lot 365; Sale, Whyte’s, 26th April 2005, Lot 69. Exhibited: ‘ Daniel O’Neill: Recent Paintings ’, Dawson gallery, Dublin, 12-31 May 1971. Literature: Gena Lynam, ‘ Daniel O’Neill (1920-1974): Landscape and Figure Painter ’, Irish Arts Review, Volume 15, 1999, Page 141. Daniel O’Neill was a largely self-taught artist, beginning his journey by experimenting with watercol- ours at the age of fifteen. He educated himself in Art History, researching the Renaissance through reference books in his local library. In the 1940s, O’Neill took up work as an electrical engineer with the Belfast Corporation Transport Department. This provided him with an opportunity to work night shifts, leaving him free to paint during the day. In 1945, this demanding timetable came to an end when O’Neill was offered a contract by gallerist Victor Waddington. O’Neill gladly ceased work as an electrician and turned to art fulltime. Waddington presented Daniel O’Neill’s first solo show in 1946 with great success. With a high sale rate, O’Neill was firmly established as one of Ireland’s great upcoming artists. In 1958, O’Neill moved to London. He continued to work and exhibited largely in Montreal through the Waddington Gallery. Optimising on his strong international market, Daniel O’Neill’s name began to fade from the Irish art scene. However, in 1970, George McClelland convinced O’Neill that it was time for him to return. The Belfast that he now encountered was not the same as the one he had left twelve years earlier. The underlying tensions had been given full reign to ravage the city as the Troubles spread fear and vio- lence through the streets. Against this backdrop, O’Neill maintained his artistic drive, re-entering the Irish market through a one-man exhibition which opened on May 12th 1971. Thirty-two works were pre- sented, amongst which was ‘ Horseman, Pass By ’. The show brought acclaim from critics, many of which were pleasantly surprised by O’Neill’s bold use of colour which contrasted so greatly to the sombre tones of the 1950s. In particular, the current lot was picked out by The Irish Press for its ‘atmosphere’ and ‘mystery’. With an eye for remarkable pieces, the work was purchased at the time by George and Maura McClelland. Despite its colourful disposition, ‘ Horesman, Pass By ’ reads as lament on mortality. The title itself is borrowed from the poem ‘ Under Ben Bulben ’ by W.B. Yeats, a piece in which the poet finishes by describing his own resting place. Yeats implores any visitors to the spot to “Cast a cold eye / On life, on death / Horesman, pass by!”. These lines are now immortalised as his epitaph. Given the political climate against which this work was produced, it is hard not to read the painting as a cry for a dying Belfast. Striding through the centre of the piece a man, possibly a self-portrait of O’Neill, sits atop a white horse. This horse is resemblant of the white charger often pictured alongside William of Orange and, thus, is a direct connection to Belfast’s religious apartheid. Led by a faceless woman, perhaps the representation of artistic muse, the horse and rider move past the city and the skeleton that keeps guard. Staring directly ahead the man seemingly shows a stoic indifference to what is around him, however, the firm set of the jaw belies the exertion that it costs to do so. As is characteristic of his works, O’Neill utilises the landscape in this piece to depict the concerns of the central figure. The city, which he leaves behind, is lit up, emphasising its importance in this saga. To the front of the rider, a shadowed wood awaits, beckoning him forth into an unknown. It is up to the viewer to decide this horseman’s fate. € 20,000 - 30,000