View More Videos
Bidding on this item has ended.
Tony O'Malley
NIGHT WINDOW WITH ASH TREE AND HARMONICA MUSIC
Lot 16
Price Realised:
€13,000
Estimate:
€6,000 - €9,000
Tony O'Malley HRHA, 1913-2003
NIGHT WINDOW WITH ASH TREE AND HARMONICA MUSIC
Oil on board, 48" x 10" (122 x 25.4cm), signed and dated; signed, inscribed and dated 9/57 verso.
Although O'Malley eventually returned from Cornwall to Ireland in 1990... Read more
Lot 16
Tony O'Malley
NIGHT WINDOW WITH ASH TREE AND HARMONICA MUSIC
DVTV Click Here To View VideoNIGHT WINDOW WITH ASH TREE AND HARMONICA MUSIC
Oil on board, 48" x 10" (122 x 25.4cm), signed and dated; signed, inscribed and dated 9/57 verso.
Although O'Malley eventually returned from Cornwall to Ireland in 1990... Read more
Lot 16
Tony O'Malley
NIGHT WINDOW WITH ASH TREE AND HARMONICA MUSIC
Estimate:
€6,000 - €9,000
Tony O'Malley HRHA, 1913-2003
NIGHT WINDOW WITH ASH TREE AND HARMONICA MUSIC
Oil on board, 48" x 10" (122 x 25.4cm), signed and dated; signed, inscribed and dated 9/57 verso.
Although O'Malley eventually returned from Cornwall to Ireland in 1990 to live and work in Physicianstown, Co.Kilkenny, his birthplace, over the years he had often imaginatively returned there. He always felt an intense connection to his homeplace, with pictures like Night Window with Ash Tree & Harmonica Music evoking a time and place that still existed vividly in memory. O'Malley's starting point for a painting was always the visual world, which he then interpreted freely so that, rather than describing something literally, the picture expresses some elemental part of his experience. Night Window… conveys the rush of movement outside his window: wind, the fluttering leaves on the ash tree and the all-important (to O'Malley) birds. We get glimpses of beaks, wings, tails and eyes, the latter introducing an unsettling totemic presence which is characteristic of the artist.
In this piece, the element of sound is particularly important. O'Malley once explained: 'There is music in nature all the time. Sometimes I make a landscape with the caw of a crow….' But in Night Window… the sounds of nature outside the window are mingling with the lively tunes coming from O'Malley's harmonica (he played both the accordion and the harmonica). In this painting it's not difficult to imagine the lively harmonica rhythms mingling with the sounds of nature; the shapes flow seamlessly into one another in a lively dance. Those familiar with the artist's work will recognise a simplified self-portrait of O'Malley at the top of the painting, a subtle nod to the accordion player himself.
Like in so many of his paintings, this one draws on O'Malley's totality of experience, the seeing, hearing and feeling—remembering the enjoyment of that specific moment. He looks, feels, digests and then recalls a sensation, using this 'inscape' as the starting point for a visually satisfying abstract composition.
Dr Frances Ruane HRHA
October 2021
NIGHT WINDOW WITH ASH TREE AND HARMONICA MUSIC
Oil on board, 48" x 10" (122 x 25.4cm), signed and dated; signed, inscribed and dated 9/57 verso.
Although O'Malley eventually returned from Cornwall to Ireland in 1990 to live and work in Physicianstown, Co.Kilkenny, his birthplace, over the years he had often imaginatively returned there. He always felt an intense connection to his homeplace, with pictures like Night Window with Ash Tree & Harmonica Music evoking a time and place that still existed vividly in memory. O'Malley's starting point for a painting was always the visual world, which he then interpreted freely so that, rather than describing something literally, the picture expresses some elemental part of his experience. Night Window… conveys the rush of movement outside his window: wind, the fluttering leaves on the ash tree and the all-important (to O'Malley) birds. We get glimpses of beaks, wings, tails and eyes, the latter introducing an unsettling totemic presence which is characteristic of the artist.
In this piece, the element of sound is particularly important. O'Malley once explained: 'There is music in nature all the time. Sometimes I make a landscape with the caw of a crow….' But in Night Window… the sounds of nature outside the window are mingling with the lively tunes coming from O'Malley's harmonica (he played both the accordion and the harmonica). In this painting it's not difficult to imagine the lively harmonica rhythms mingling with the sounds of nature; the shapes flow seamlessly into one another in a lively dance. Those familiar with the artist's work will recognise a simplified self-portrait of O'Malley at the top of the painting, a subtle nod to the accordion player himself.
Like in so many of his paintings, this one draws on O'Malley's totality of experience, the seeing, hearing and feeling—remembering the enjoyment of that specific moment. He looks, feels, digests and then recalls a sensation, using this 'inscape' as the starting point for a visually satisfying abstract composition.
Dr Frances Ruane HRHA
October 2021
- Enquire
- View all lots by this artist
- How bidding works
Please note: You will require a deVeres account in order to bid. Please register via the website. Each lot will close numerically. If there is late bidding the time may be extended which could delay subsequent lots. The lots will start to close from 2.00pm on auction day, closing at 45 second intervals.
PLEASE BID EARLY TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT.
In order to allow rival bidders the opportunity to respond to a late bid the following extensions will apply:
IF A BID IS RECEIVED WITHIN THE FINAL 45 SECONDS OF THE COUNTDOWN THE CLOCK WILL RESET TO 60 SECONDS.
At any point you can leave a maximum bid, representing the highest price you are prepared to pay for a particular lot. Bidding only advances when there is competition from a rival bidder. In that case the system bids on your behalf, only up to the maximum if required. All bids are relayed to you be email, along with notification if you have been outbid.
All maximum bids are confidential and not disclosed. The system will endeavor to purchase the lot for you for the least price. Bids are subject to buyer’s premium of 25% (incl vat), with no additional charges.
In the event of a tied bid, the preference will be given to the bid submitted first. The second bidder will receive immediate notification of being outbid.
PLEASE BID EARLY TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT.
In order to allow rival bidders the opportunity to respond to a late bid the following extensions will apply:
IF A BID IS RECEIVED WITHIN THE FINAL 45 SECONDS OF THE COUNTDOWN THE CLOCK WILL RESET TO 60 SECONDS.
At any point you can leave a maximum bid, representing the highest price you are prepared to pay for a particular lot. Bidding only advances when there is competition from a rival bidder. In that case the system bids on your behalf, only up to the maximum if required. All bids are relayed to you be email, along with notification if you have been outbid.
All maximum bids are confidential and not disclosed. The system will endeavor to purchase the lot for you for the least price. Bids are subject to buyer’s premium of 25% (incl vat), with no additional charges.
In the event of a tied bid, the preference will be given to the bid submitted first. The second bidder will receive immediate notification of being outbid.
Sign-up to our auction alert
Signup for personalised Irish art recommendations, invitations to viewings and auctions, articles and more.