SMART, Jeffrey (1921-2013) 'George O'Dea in the Sun,' 1945. Oil on Canvas 35.5x27cm
PROVENANCE: The Private Collection of Barry Pearce, former Head Curator of Australian Art, Art Gallery of New South Wales.
EXHIBITIONS: Master of Stillness: Jeffrey Smart Paintings 1940-2011, Carrick Hill and Samstag Museum, Adelaide, 2012, cat. #9, illustrated p.35.
OTHER NOTES: An example of portraits of students the artist painted whilst teaching at Goodwood Technical School between 1942 and 1948, desperate to continue evolving his painting skills. A fine example of his ability to capture clear crisp sunlight on frontal forms, but perhaps most interesting is the striped background based on corrugated iron fences in Adelaide which he picked up from fellow South Australian painter Max Ragless. Those flat striped areas were an important coefficient of energy that persisted throughout his career for the purpose of holding compositions steady, including a self-portrait of 1940, and culminating in one of his greatest masterpieces, 'Corrugated Gioconda,' 1976, in the collection of the National Gallery of Australia. Estimate $12,000-18,000