盧西安·史密斯

OHWOW, Los Angeles

Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

Colour: The colour in the catalogue illustration is fairly accurate. Condition: This work is in very good condition. No restoration is apparent when examined under ultra-violet light.
"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."

A prominent forerunner from an illustrious group of young process-painters, Lucien Smith has skyrocketed onto the international art scene with solo exhibitions at Skarstedt Gallery, New York and OHWOW Gallery, Los Angeles, amongst others. Confined and constricted by city-life Smith spent a year in rural upstate New York. It was the space, seclusion and re-connection with nature provided by this relocation that permitted the artist to conceive of his most powerful form of expression to date; his ‘rain paintings’, of which, with its title borrowed from the 1990s book and film, How Stella Got Her Groove Back is an enchanting example. To create these hypnotic works, Smith would fill an old-fashioned fire extinguisher with paint from which monochrome drops of pigment would ‘rain’ onto the unprimed canvas. This elegant body of work references precipitation not only through method, however, but also through subject. As Smith explains: “When I was looking through comics, I’d run across the same image of characters trapped in the rain. It’s like a universal symbolic image of being sad and alone” (Lucien Smith in conversation with Bill Powers, Purple Magazine, No. 17, Spring/Summer 2012, online resource). Indeed, How Stella Got her Groove Back illustrates the melancholic characteristics of rain with a palpable emotive force, inviting contemplation and reflection from the viewer.