JACK SMITH (b. 1928), British

TOLEDO

Charcoal 16 x 21J ins

Signed, dated and inscribed ' Jack Smith /54 Toledo

Purchased 1957

Jack Smith was born in Sheffield and studied at the Royal College of Art, London. His first exhibition was at the Beaux Arts Gallery, London, in 1953 and each year since he has exhibited there. His work has also been shown in a number of national and international exhibitions.
   As a painter, Smith came to prominence amongst a small group of realist painters including both Middleditch and Bratby, works

by whom are in the collection. This group showed a strong preference for somewhat sordid and depressing subject matter becoming known as painters of the ' kitchen sink' school. Our Toledo is not typical of this part of Smith's work. It is certainly realist but not with the depressing realism of his more usual subject matter, that of squalor in confined places, that so many of his oils of this same period have. The setting sun reveals the town with a clean bright light.
   This drawing would appear to be an early move towards Smith's more recent work where light is used as a subject for painting rather than as previously a further means of increasing the depression of closed rooms. Titles of more recent works suggest a change of approach; WAVES OF LIGHT AND SHADOW; LIGHT AMONGST GLASSES AND BOTTLES; SKY.

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