Pleasant Dreams (1852). Henry Nelson O’Neil (1817-1880).
O'Neil (1817-1880) was a leading Victorian painter of historical scenes. He worked in a highly detailed and realistic style.
O'Neil studied art at the Royal Academy schools from 1836. He was a founder member of ‘The Clique’, a group of young artists who were dissatisfied with the restrictions of the Royal Academy and wanted to bring a new realism and emotional intensity to their work.
“As I read, I began to understand that all the great works wrangled with big questions, important questions: our place in the world, the value of our experience, the fairness and meaning of our suffering, our quest for love and belonging.
Phuc Tran “Sigh, Gone: A Misfit’s Memoir of Great Books, Punk Rock, and the Fight to Fit In”
They ignored the tears that rolled down her cheeks. Pouring everything they had left into each other. Starved for a touch that was real and tangible. Was love meant to be a choice? Was it always supposed to be out of her hands? A freewill from a height far beyond what mortal eyes could see.
‘What could I possibly have done to make you so angry?’ Darkness swarmed in his eyes. 'You feel loneliness and you lean on the first piece of shit who shows you any signs of affection.’ I ripped my hand away and shoved his chest. 'You don’t get to say that to me. You don’t get to have any opinion about who I do and do not lean on.’ 'He doesn’t know you.’ Wolf’s chest rose and fell with every breath. 'He does not know how strong you are. Hell’s he thinks you’re a fragile doe, Huntress. What would he think if he saw you like this?’ His eyes grazed my body. 'Dripping in blood and fuming with hatred?’
