James Arthur O'Connor

For other people with the same name, see James O'Connor (disambiguation).

James Arthur O'Connor
View on the Shannon, with figures in a rowing boat, 1828.
Born
James Arthur O'Connor

1792
Dublin, Ireland
Died7 January 1841
Brompton, London, England
NationalityIrish
Known forPainting
Notable workHomeward Bound (c. 1825 – 1830)
A Thunderstorm: The Frightened Wagoner (1832)
The Poachers (1835)

James Arthur O'Connor (1792 – 7 January 1841) was an Irish painter.

Career

James Arthur O'Connor was born 15 Aston's Quay, Dublin – the son of an engraver and printer, William O'Connor.[1] 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 Danby and George Petrie, exhibiting at the Royal Academy in 1822. O'Connor visited France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the Rhineland. He died poor, in Brompton, London, 7 January 1841.[2] O'Connor was married – his wife's name was Anastatia.[3]

  • View of Irishtown from Sandymount, 1823, Oil on canvas, 14 x 18 in, 35.5 x 45.7 cm.
    View of Irishtown from Sandymount, 1823, Oil on canvas, 14 x 18 in, 35.5 x 45.7 cm.
  • Landscape with a view of Drimnagh Castle, 1821, Oil on canvas, 17½ x 23½ in, 44.4 x 59.7 cm.
    Landscape with a view of Drimnagh Castle, 1821, Oil on canvas, 17½ x 23½ in, 44.4 x 59.7 cm.
  • Dargle Landscape with a Fisherman, Oil on canvas, 13½ x 18 in, 34 x 46 cm.
    Dargle Landscape with a Fisherman, Oil on canvas, 13½ x 18 in, 34 x 46 cm.

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).

List of paintings by James Arthur O'Connor
Title Date Medium Dimensions Repository Other notes
A Moonlit Landscape   Oil on Board 7 x 6 inches
17.78 x 15.24 cm 		David Madden
Blackrock Co Dublin 		Signed Lower Right. View at http://www.galleryofthemasters.com/o-folder/oconnor-james-arthur-gallery.html Gallery of the Masters
Westport House c. 1818 Oil on canvas   Phyllis Pennefather This is Westport House, in County Mayo.
Ballinrobe House c. 1818 Oil on canvas 42.0 x 71.0 cm.
(161⁄2 x 28 in.) 		National Gallery of Ireland This is said to be Bridge House (then owned by Courtney Kenny), located at Ballinrobe, 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[4] Collection. This depicts the battlefield at Waterloo, Belgium, a country which O'Connor visited in 1826. The famous Butte du Lion (or Lion's Mound) features prominently in this painting.
A View on the Liffey 1828 Oil on board 22.2 x 28 cm.
(83⁄4 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, London.  
Homeward Bound c. 1825–1830 Oil on canvas 63.0 x 76.0 cm.
(243⁄4 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.
(271⁄2 x 351⁄2 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.
(255⁄8 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.
(217⁄8 x 243⁄4 in.) 		National Gallery of Ireland This is his best moonlight painting and one of his best paintings overall. It shows three men (three poachers) standing in a moonlight landscape. It is signed and dated 'J.A. O'Connor 1835'.

References

  1. ^ Hutchinson, p. 83.
  2. ^ [1] O'Connor at Ricorso.
  3. ^ Hutchinson, p. 161.
  4. ^ Anglesey is also sometimes spelt as Anglesea.

Bibliography

  • Hutchinson, John. James Arthur O'Connor. Dublin: The National Gallery of Ireland, 1985. ISBN 0-903162-28-8.

Further reading