Jack Smith

Julian Hartnoll, London
Acquired from the above and thence gifted to be sold to raise funds for the Southbank Centre, London 

The painting is made up of two boards which are attached along a horizontal line in the middle of the painting. There are nail heads, and small holes which appear to have been made by nails which run along this horizontal line. There is an abrasion to the surface of the board in the upper left quadrant which appears to have been made by an object, perhaps a nail, being pushed through from the reverse. There are some tiny specks of paint loss caused by the nail heads and the small holes. There is another spot of paint loss in the lower left quadrant. Held in a black painted wooden frame. Please telephone the department on 020 7293 5381 if you have any questions regarding the present work.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Painted circa 1953-54, Interior with Figures is an important example of the realist figure painting that secured Smith's early reputation and made him a key figure of the period. Along with John Bratby, Edward Middleditch and Derrick Greaves, the 'Beaux Arts Quartet' represented a complete shift in the direction of British painting at the time.

The grouping of these four artists in the public imagination under the 'Kitchen Sink' tag gave them a collective identity similar to the 'Angry Young Men' writers of the same period, and whilst it provided a convenient label for the media, it tended to disguise the very real differences in outlook between the artists. Of the four, it was Smith whose work had the most social-realist edge. Usually stark in both image and colour, Smith's paintings such as Interior with Figures had their roots in his upbringing in working-class Sheffield. Between 1952 and 1954 Smith produced a series of domestic interiors, mostly painted in his lodgings at 44, Pembroke Road, London, which are still startling in their treatment of the lives of the poor. The bare floors, naked bulbs and harsh surfaces are rendered with an attention to both the qualities of each subject and their wider indications as part of the life of his sitters.

Interior with Figures is one of the most important paintings by Smith to yet appear on the market. Of imposing size, the strength of the image and the artist's evident empathy with the world he depicts gives the painting an authenticity that stops the image looking dated in the way that some of his contemporaries work has become rather too 'period piece'.