Morgan O'Driscoll Irish & International Art Auction 12th November 2018

98 82 Roderic O’Conor RHA (1860-1940) Still Life with Flowers stamped lower right atelier O’CONOR oil on board (There is a ‘Still Life with Fruit’ verso) 41 x 33cm (16 x 13in) Provenance: Sotheby’s, London, The Irish Sale, 9th May 2007, Lot 90; Private Collection €15,000-€25,000 (£13,392-£22,321) Born in Co Roscommon to a land-owning family, O’Conor grew up in Dublin and seemed set on being an artist from quite early on. He was highly regarded at the Metropolitan School of Art in Dublin and estab- lished himself in local art circles, but his sights were on Europe and, after one or two forays, around 1886-’87, he went to Paris to attend the atelier of Carolus-Duran. From there he went on eventually to the artists’ com- munity at Pont-Aven in Brittany, where Paul Gauguin was the dominant artistic personality. O’Conor met and befriended him when he arrived back from the South Seas in 1894. O’Conor only returned to Ireland to deal with family issues and busi- ness. Unlike many Irish artists who went to study in France, he was more than content to settle there, and he had a reputation for being close to all the latest artistic developments. His financial independence allowed him a latitude few of his companions enjoyed. But the fact that he was not financially dependent on his work may have led him to be casual about exhibiting and marketing it. And he was sometimes given to over-working a painting. Long under-estimated, he was a fine Post-Impressionist and over his lifetime produced an outstanding body of work including landscape, still life, figures and interiors. There is no sign of over-working in this beauti- fully free floral study. It is boldly stated but well judged, with soft colours, and tonally bright, giving it an attractively light feeling. Aidan Dunne, October 2018