Still life with tureen, jug and dish

'Typical of many still life paintings made by O'Conor in his rue du Cherche Midi studio in Montparnasse, in the years after 1904 following his return to Paris from Brittany. He often chose to assemble a group of objects which he liked to place close to the stuio window, as is the case here, so that they were bathed in strong light in contrast with the subdued interior beyond. This allowed O'Conor to maintain his interest in the rich contrasts of light and colour which were a feature of his earlier landscape paintings.

The inclusion of the ceramic jug from the town of Quimper some 30 kilometres north of Pont-Aven is a nostalgic link to a fondly remembered and significant sojourn of more than 13 years which he had spent in Brittany' (Roy Johnston, private correspondence).

We are grateful to Dr Roy Johnston for his help in preparing this catalogue entry.