Morgan O'Driscoll Irish & International Art Auction 29th April 2019

164 150 Comhghall Casey (b.1976) Trio of Oranges (2006) signed lower right and dated 2006 oil on canvas 45 x 35cm (18 x 14in) Provenance: Emer Gallery, Belfast; Private Collection €1,500-€2,000 ($1,685-$2,247) (£1,271-£1,694) Donegal-born Comhghall Casey studied in Belfast and since he graduated in 1998 has been exploring a mode of virtuosic, highly realist painting. It is a hallmark of his style that he isolates his subject, be that still life objects or the human figure, against a minimal background and renders it in great, careful detail. He eschews traditional still life arrangements, preferring single motifs as, here, three oranges, carefully arranged in a triangle so that they seem to resemble billiard balls. Casey’s method is designed to direct our focus to the thing itself, without distraction.