Daniel O'Neill (1920-1974) Girl in Large Hat Oil on board, 60 x 45cm (23.5 x 17.75'') Signed bottom right The Dubliner Magazine in 1945 praised Daniel O'Neill's ''sensuous handling of paint, his...
Daniel O'Neill (1920-1974) Girl in Large Hat Oil on board, 60 x 45cm (23.5 x 17.75'') Signed bottom right The Dubliner Magazine in 1945 praised Daniel O'Neill's ''sensuous handling of paint, his rich colour and dramatic sense of composition''. This can refer all too easily to the present work which captures the magnatism of O'Neill's portraits of young women. 'Girl in a Large Hat' is an evocative work which captures the very essence of the unknown and unacknowledged sitter. Described as being romantic in style O'Neill's main interest looked to the work of the Italian primitives and this can be seen in the delineation of forms in his early work and his broad use of colour.O'Neill admired the work of Van Gogh and at times O'Neill's raw application of paint recalls his frenetic style. 'Girl in a Large Hat' is a mysterious character - we know nothing about her yet she appears to exude an intimate yearning for something unknown. '' In painting, strength lies in simplicity '' said O'Neill and in this work the beautiful face is the centrtal focus despite the magnetic draw of the scumbled,colourful hat and strong planes of colour in her clothes. Throughout his career Daniel O'Neill painted haunting images of women with ' dark wonder in their eyes ' and melancholic expressions.At times this borders on the obsessive through the sheer repetition of the subject matter, however despite this each female portrait is unique.