Dimensions: support: 915 x 915 mm
Copyright: © The estate of Jack Smith | CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Curator: Jack Smith’s square canvas, titled "Objects in Light and Shadow," presents a fascinating study in muted tones and fractured forms. Editor: It's strikingly somber. The browns and creams create a rather subdued, almost melancholic atmosphere. I'm intrigued by the interplay of geometric shapes. Curator: Smith, working in the postwar period, was engaging with the broader dialogue around abstraction, yet there's a tangible sense of domesticity suggested by the 'objects' referenced in the title. Editor: Absolutely. The light seems to dissect the objects, challenging our perception, doesn't it? It's not purely representational, but hints at a deeper structural investigation of form. Curator: His work often challenged the prevailing art world norms, critiquing the commodification of art through his deliberately 'unbeautiful' aesthetic. Editor: Ultimately, it's the way Smith balances light and shadow that leaves a lasting impression, wouldn't you agree? Curator: Yes, it offers a compelling glimpse into Smith's unique perspective on both art and society.
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http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/smith-objects-in-light-and-shadow-t06461
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The catalogue of Smith's exhibition at the Whitechapel Art Gallery in 1959 explains that from 1957-9 Smith was 'preoccupied with the problems involved in giving form to the pictorial expression of light' The paintings of this period attempt to depict light through the form of the objects that displace it. Smith commented on the Tate's closely related still-life of the same year, 'Bottles in Light and Shadow' that this was one of a series of pictures, 'all attempting to state a particular experience of still-life objects in a room. Also a particular kind of light and darkness which constantly changes their identity.' Gallery label, August 2004