James Arthur O'Connor
Encyclopedia
James Arthur O'Connor was an Irish
painter
.
and George Petrie, exhibiting at the Royal Academy
in 1822. O'Connor visited France, Belgium, Holland, and the Rhineland
. He died poor, in Brompton, London, 7 January 1841. O'Connor was married – his wife's name was Anastatia.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
.
Career
James Arthur O'Connor was born 15 Aston's Quay, Dublin – the son of an engraver and printer, William O'Connor. O'Connor would become a distinguished landscape painter. He was self-taught, receiving just a few lessons from William Sadler. He travelled to London with Francis DanbyFrancis Danby
Francis Danby was an Irish painter of the Romantic era. His imaginative, dramatic landscapes were comparable to those of John Martin. Danby initially developed his imaginative style while he was the central figure in a group of artists who have come to be known as the Bristol School...
and George Petrie, exhibiting at the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
in 1822. O'Connor visited France, Belgium, Holland, and the Rhineland
Rhineland
Historically, the Rhinelands refers to a loosely-defined region embracing the land on either bank of the River Rhine in central Europe....
. He died poor, in Brompton, London, 7 January 1841. O'Connor was married – his wife's name was Anastatia.
List of paintings
The list below contains an incomplete list of his works and gives either the owner (in 1985) or the location of where the original is found today (or both).| Title | Date | Medium | Dimensions | Repository | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westport House | c. 1818 | Oil on canvas | Phyllis Pennefather | This is Westport House Westport House Westport House in Westport, Ireland is the stately home of Lord Altamont the Marquess of Sligo. It was built by the Browne family in the 18th Century, on the site of an O'Malley castle whose dungeons are still present today... , in County Mayo County Mayo County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552... . |
|
| Ballinrobe House | c. 1818 | Oil on canvas | 42.0 x 71.0 cm. (16 x 28 in.) |
National Gallery of Ireland National Gallery of Ireland The National Gallery of Ireland houses the Irish national collection of Irish and European art. It is located in the centre of Dublin with one entrance on Merrion Square, beside Leinster House, and another on Clare Street. It was founded in 1854 and opened its doors ten years later... |
This is said to be Bridge House (then owned by Courtney Kenny), located at Ballinrobe Ballinrobe -Early history:Dating back to 1390, Ballinrobe is said to be the oldest town in South Mayo. The registry of the Dominican friary of Athenry mentions the monastery de Roba, an Augustinian friary whose recently restored ruins are one of the historical landmarks of the town today... , County Mayo. |
| Lough Mask | c. 1818 | Oil on canvas | National Gallery of Ireland | ||
| A view of Howth Head | c. 1819 – 1820 | Oil on canvas | Private Collection | ||
| Landscape with a view of Drimnagh Castle | 1821 | Oil on canvas | 44.4 x 59.7 cm (17½ x 23½ in.) |
||
| View of Irishtown from Sandymount | 1823 | Oil on canvas | 35.5 x 45.7 cm. (14 x 18 in.) |
Pyms Gallery, London. | Signed and dated at lower left: 'J A O'Connor 1823'. |
| The Field of Waterloo | c. 1826 | Anglesey Abbey Anglesey Abbey Anglesey Abbey is a country house, formerly a priory, in the village of Lode, 5 ½ miles northeast of Cambridge, England. The house and its grounds are owned by the National Trust and are open to the public as part of the Anglesey Abbey, Garden & Lode Mill property, although some parts remain... Collection. |
This depicts the battlefield at Waterloo, Belgium Waterloo, Belgium Waterloo is a Walloon municipality located in the province of Walloon Brabant, Belgium. On December 31, 2009, Waterloo had a total population of 29,573. The total area is 21.03 km² which gives a population density of 1,407 inhabitants per km²... , a country which O'Connor visited in 1826. The famous Butte du Lion Butte du Lion The Lion's Mound is a large conical artificial hill raised on the battlefield of Waterloo to commemorate the location where William II of the Netherlands was knocked from his horse by a musket ball to the shoulder during the battle... (or Lion's Mound) features prominently in this painting. |
||
| A View on the Liffey | 1828 | Oil on board | 22.2 x 28 cm. (8 x 11 in.) |
Private Collection. | Signed and dated: 'J A O'Connor. 1828'. |
| The Devil's Glen, Co. Wicklow, with a Fisherman | 1828 | Victoria and Albert Museum Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects... , London. |
|||
| Homeward Bound | c. 1825–1830 | Oil on canvas | 63.0 x 76.0 cm. (24 x 30 in.) |
Private collection, sold for charity. | This is one of his nicer paintings and shows an Irishman of the period, accompanied by a small dog, walking down a country lane past a large pair of trees – suggesting he's returning home after a hard day's work. It is signed 'J.A. O'Connor'. |
| The Ford – A Landscape with Wagon, three Horses, and Figure | c. 1830 | Oil on canvas | Frank D. Murnaghan Jr | ||
| The Eagle's Rock, Killarney | 1831 | Oil on canvas | 69.7 x 90.2 cm. (27 x 35 in.) |
Richard Wood | |
| A View of the Devil's Glen | c. 1831 | National Gallery of Ireland | |||
| A Thunderstorm: The Frightened Wagoner | 1832 | Oil on canvas | 65.0 x 76.0 cm. (25 x 30 ins.) |
National Gallery of Ireland | This is considered to be one of his best paintings. It is signed and dated 'J.A. O'Connor 1832'. |
| The Poachers | 1835 | Oil on canvas | 55.5 x 70.5 cm. (21 x 24 in.) |
National Gallery of Ireland | This is his best moonlight painting and one of his best paintings overall. It shows three men (three poachers Poaching Poaching is the illegal taking of wild plants or animals contrary to local and international conservation and wildlife management laws. Violations of hunting laws and regulations are normally punishable by law and, collectively, such violations are known as poaching.It may be illegal and in... ) standing in a moonlight landscape. It is signed and dated 'J.A. O'Connor 1835'. |