Jack Smith (artist)
Encyclopedia
Jack Smith was a British
realist and, later, abstract
artist.
, Yorkshire
.
Smith studied at Sheffield College of Art (1944–1946), St Martin's School of Art (1948–1950) and the Royal College of Art
(1950–1953). At the RCA, Smith studied under John Minton
, Ruskin Spear
and Carel Weight
.
style known as "The Kitchen Sink
School" featuring domestic subjects.
In the 1960s Smith abandoned realism and adopted a brightly coloured, abstract style comparable to those of Wassily Kandinsky
and Piet Mondrian
incorporating Constructivism
and Biomorphism
with elements of hieroglyphic and musical notation. Smith continued to develop and work in this style and did not return to realism.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
realist and, later, abstract
Abstract art
Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the logic of perspective and an...
artist.
Life
Jack Smith was born in 1928 in SheffieldSheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
.
Smith studied at Sheffield College of Art (1944–1946), St Martin's School of Art (1948–1950) and the Royal College of Art
Royal College of Art
The Royal College of Art is an art school located in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s only wholly postgraduate university of art and design, offering the degrees of Master of Arts , Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy...
(1950–1953). At the RCA, Smith studied under John Minton
John Minton (artist)
Francis John Minton was an English painter, illustrator, stage designer and teacher. After studying in France, he became a teacher in London, and at the same time maintained a consistently large output of works...
, Ruskin Spear
Ruskin Spear
Ruskin Spear, CBE, RA was an English painter.Born in Hammersmith, Spear attended the local art school before going on to the Royal College of Art in 1930...
and Carel Weight
Carel Weight
Carel Victor Morlais Weight was an English painter.Weight was born in Paddington in 1908. He studied at the Hammersmith School of Art and Goldsmiths College...
.
Work
During the 1950s, Smith's early work was in a neo-realistNeorealism (art)
In art, neorealism was established by the ex-Camden Town Group painters Charles Ginner and Harold Gilman at the beginning of World War I. They set out to explore the spirit of their age through the shapes and colours of daily life...
style known as "The Kitchen Sink
Kitchen sink realism
Kitchen sink realism is a term coined to describe a British cultural movement which developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in theatre, art, novels, film and television plays, whose 'heroes' usually could be described as angry young men...
School" featuring domestic subjects.
In the 1960s Smith abandoned realism and adopted a brightly coloured, abstract style comparable to those of Wassily Kandinsky
Wassily Kandinsky
Wassily Wassilyevich Kandinsky was an influential Russian painter and art theorist. He is credited with painting the first purely-abstract works. Born in Moscow, Kandinsky spent his childhood in Odessa. He enrolled at the University of Moscow, studying law and economics...
and Piet Mondrian
Piet Mondrian
Pieter Cornelis "Piet" Mondriaan, after 1906 Mondrian , was a Dutch painter.He was an important contributor to the De Stijl art movement and group, which was founded by Theo van Doesburg. He evolved a non-representational form which he termed Neo-Plasticism...
incorporating Constructivism
Constructivism (art)
Constructivism was an artistic and architectural philosophy that originated in Russia beginning in 1919, which was a rejection of the idea of autonomous art. The movement was in favour of art as a practice for social purposes. Constructivism had a great effect on modern art movements of the 20th...
and Biomorphism
Biomorphism
Biomorphism is an art movement that began in the 20th century. It patterns artistic design elements on naturally occurring patterns or shapes reminiscent of nature. Taken to its extreme it attempts to force naturally occurring shapes onto functional devices, often with mixed results.-History:The...
with elements of hieroglyphic and musical notation. Smith continued to develop and work in this style and did not return to realism.
Recognition
- First prize at the first John Moores Liverpool Exhibition (1956)
- Shown at Venice BiennaleVenice BiennaleThe Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
(1956) - Retrospective at the Whitechapel Art Gallery (1959)
- National Prize at Guggenheim International AwardGuggenheim FellowshipGuggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
s - Touring Retrospective organised by Sunderland Arts Centre (1977)
- 80th Birthday Retrospective at the Flowers East gallery (2008)