UNSW – COFA -School of Art History and Theory ARTWRITE

An excellent article on the Australian artist Jeffrey Smart. I personally love Smart because his treatment of everyday and frequently ugly objects turn them into interesting objects with his use of whimsical color. His technique and perfectionist realism are rarely seen in the modern age and I feel his paintings are truly original.

Jeffrey Smart is also an artist who dances to the beat of his own drum. He holds true to his own interests and styles and his own philosophy. In response to people who read too much into his cloudy skies and grim looking people, Jeffrey Smart stated that cloudy skies were “better for the composition” and the grim faces were “easier to paint”. He maid it clear that there was absolutely no commentary on city life or urbanization. This rated very highly with me as usually my paintings have no meanings save what people invent themselves.

His use of color and the luminescence of his light as well as the delicate brushstrokes have been a constant inspiration to me as well as his constant reevaluation of his urban subject matter. If you are interested, there is a series of images of his artwork here.