Unlike most Irish artists, colour is the very essence of Daniel O’Neill’s work and his time to re-enter the spotlight is overdue, writes Brian Fallon
Daniel O’Neill (1920-1974) seems, on the face of things, to have largely vanished from the consciousness of Irish art lovers in recent decades. His name ignites few flames and probably not many people can recall seeing his paintings in any number, except possibly in private collections. His exhibitions at the Victor Waddington Galleries, which caused such a stir in the immediate post-war decades, are virtually forgotten. In short, his case resembles that of some glowing meteor now extinguished, leaving behind only dimmed memories of what it meant for a previous generation.
Rose Jane Leigh’s importance as an early pioneering Wexford landscape painter and her choice of studying in Antwerp placed her at the centre of the major art movements of the 19th and early 20th century, writes Mary Stratton Ryan
