If it were not for the coincidence of two events, young Frank may have stayed in Dublin studying medicine and let his artistic gift go to ruin.
However, on the death of his mother, he honoured his first cousin, the novelist Kathleen O'Meara's invitation to join her in France. After two years in the Irish capital, Frank was on the move again: this time to Paris!
Paris
Carolus Duran
Portrait of Carolus-Duran (1879) by the famous American portrait painter John Singer Sargent.
Wikimedia CommonsCarolus Duran
Wikimedia Commons
Wikimedia Commons
Carolus Duran
Portrait of Carolus-Duran (1879) by the famous American portrait painter John Singer Sargent.
Wikimedia CommonsIn the late 19th century Paris was the place to be for aspiring artists.
Talented young men and women from across Europe and America found excellent schools with good teachers to develop their craft.
Frank entered Carolus Duran's atelier, where he joined 25 other students.
Talented young men and women from across Europe and America found excellent schools with good teachers to develop their craft.
Frank entered Carolus Duran's atelier, where he joined 25 other students.
Grez-sur-Loing
In France, Frank found a lifestyle which suited him.
Together with many of Duran's other students, he joined the artist's community of Grez-sur-Loing, where he would paint from nature for the next 13 years.
It was a perfect place to find inspiration.
It had a medieval church and ruined castle, an old stone bridge with many arches and little cobbled streets where shepherds drove their flocks at dawn.
There were river banks with reeds and lillies, with the tranquil waters of the Loing river flowing past. All these natural features provided lovely motifs for the artists to paint.