Alfred Smith

Lined, vertical and horizontal stretcher bar marks visible, repaired tears visible in upper right and upper left corners; under UV: three by four inch area of inpainting upper left corner to address aforementioned repaired tear, ten by six inch area of inpainting upper right corner to address aforementioned repaired tear, inpainting along edges to address frame abrasion, strokes of inpainting in foreground, lines of inpainting to correspond to visible stretcher bar marks, lines, strokes and areas of inpainting throughout composition.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Alfred Smith de Strnburg (1854-1936) was one of the most successful artists of the late nineteenth century -- respected by colleagues, and acclaimed by the press and his patrons. Smith first exhibited his work in 1876 at the Salon of Bordeaux, his native town, before moving to Paris four years later. Dated 1885, After the Rain holds all the elements for which Smith's paintings were celebrated: complex, detailed scenes of urban life married to a brilliant depiction of the natural world, the result of his extensive training as a landscape painter. The work shows the influence of his friend and mentor Louis-Augustin Auguin, his teachers Pradelles, Chabry and Baudit and the Barbizon work of Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot.  Smith paints the clearing gray skies and pooling water of After the Rain in a delicate, luminous style close to Impressionism, while the careful observation of people bustling about their day reveals his naturalistic sensibilities. Above all, Smith refused to adhere to one formula or another in his quest to record the world around him; his eclectic, highly personal style continued to evolve throughout his long career.

After Smith's last major exhibition in 1935 at the Gallery A-J. Rotgé, Paris, his name was largely forgotten.  However, the artist's work, included in a recent retrospective at Bordeaux's Musée des Beaux-(December 2007-April 2008), coupled with the exhibition of the masterful After the Rain at Sotheby's New York, prove why Smith is ready for rediscovery.