Bridget

In this striking painting, a lone female figure is posed with a small cactus against a barren grey background. Is she serene – or melancholy?

Daniel O’Neill was a largely self-taught Irish artist, best known for his expressive portraits of women in romantic, natural settings. Here, he borrows the pose of the Mona Lisa, creating a haunting, dream-like atmosphere.

Ernest Heber Thompson was understandably bewitched by O’Neill’s strange, simplified treatment of the figure in this painting. He felt it was unlike anything else in the National Art Gallery’s collection.