Daniel O'Neill (1920-1974) Nude Oil on board, 51 x 61.5cm, (20 x 24.25'') Signed Provenance: Solomon Gallery, Dublin The traditional genre of the nude is rendered here in a strange mix of styles...

Daniel O'Neill (1920-1974) Nude Oil on board, 51 x 61.5cm, (20 x 24.25'') Signed Provenance: Solomon Gallery, Dublin The traditional genre of the nude is rendered here in a strange mix of styles that draw on mannerism, romanticism and various facets of modernism. It is intimate is scale, composition and subject matter. The pose of O'Neill's figure is strangely contorted and elongated in a way that is reminiscent of Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres' famous Odalisque, aimed not at anatomical accuracy but visual pleasure. Her torso is smooth, tangible yet delicate, while the expression of her hazy visage implies her thoughts are elsewhere - bored by her apparently blank book, or impatiently awaiting a lover. O'Neill renders the drapery rough and heavy, yet cushioning her impossible and somehow modest pose. Intensity here stems from the close-cropped composition and the passionately applied pigment. Yet it is not overpowering - her reclining position, unfocused gaze and serpentine curves evoke a mood that is both meditative and calming.

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