|
November 23, 2012
I went to view Jeffrey Smart's early, Adelaide works at Carrick Hill this afternoon. It's an appropriate location given the close association between Smart and the Hayward family. It was in the home of Edward and Ursula Hayward that Smart first found himself surrounded by pictures, books and people that were no available in a conservative provincial Adelaide.
The exhibition is a small upstairs section of Carrick Hill. It shows that Smart travelled widely in the South Australia from, for example, Robe in the south to Kapunda in the mid north and to the Flinders Ranges. His paintings of Adelaide and the countryside are urban and industrial landscapes with disused buildings and desolate vistas.
Jeffrey Smart, Kapunda Mines, 1946, oil on canvas
The most striking was Kapunda Mines with its dark skies, powerful industrial forms, strong light and bathing figures. It has a good composition and structure with dramatic contrasts between the bright highlights and deep shadows.
|
