Other views
Tramway on the Place des Quinconces in Bordeaux. O/C 54 x 75 cm
Alfred SMITH 1854+1936| Type | Oil on canvas |
|---|---|
| Signature | Signed Lower right |
| Size | 54 X 75 cm |
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Artist bio
André Alfred Smith de Sternburg was born in Bordeaux on July 30, 1854. His father was Welsh, naturalized French, and his mother was the daughter of the notary of Saint-Ciers-sur-Gironde. In 1869, his father left the family home and left to seek his fortune in the United States. At the age of 15, Alfred and his older brother, Emmanuel found themselves breadwinners. Alfred works in a bank as a stockbroker's clerk, but he wants to become an artist and spends all his free time painting.
In 1877 he exhibited his paintings for the first time at the Salon de la société des amis des arts de Bordeaux, whose catalog indicates that his master was Hippolyte Pradelles. He remained faithful to this salon and exhibited at least one painting every year until his death in 1936.
In 1880 Smith participated in the Paris Salon, obtaining honorable mention and frequented the workshop of Léonce Chabry. He also became a professor at the Bordeaux School of Fine Arts.
In 1883, his painting Le Quai de Bacalan, le Soir was exhibited at the Paris Salon and he entered the studio of Amédée Baudit.
In 1886, the painter Alfred Roll noticed him and helped him promote his artistic work. The two men became friends and Alfred Smith served as Roll's executor after his death in 1919.
In the years 1884-1890 Smith began to be recognized. He received medals at the Versailles and Nice salons, from French artists, at the Universal Exhibition in Paris, etc. It was in 1886 that he was able to leave his job, his painting allowing him to live.
In 1888, he won an award at the Paris Salon. The same year, he painted Place de la Concorde Sous La Pluie (L'Averse) and in 1889, he won a bronze medal at the Paris Salon. He won a bronze medal at the 1900 Universal Exhibition in Paris.
In 1894, he was named a knight of the Legion of Honor.
On December 7, 1899, Alfred Smith married Catherine Philippine Poix in Lyon and in 1901 the couple moved to Paris.
In 1912, thanks to his friends Paul Madeline and Eugène Alluaud, Alfred Smith discovered the Creuse valley. He is captivated by the landscapes; his style changed again and evolved towards Fauvism. He continued to paint the area around Crozant until his death, becoming one of the representatives of the Crozant school.
His wife Catherine died in September 1935, then Alfred Smith died in Paris on November 3, 1936. He is buried in Lyon with his partner.
Works of Alfred Smith Alfred Smith adopted several styles during his career. He was first known for his mastery of atmospheric effects in his paintings of Bordeaux. These paintings were executed in his studio. On the other hand, others were painted outdoors, which earned him the nickname “painter of the undergrowth”.
After a visit to Venice he adopted a rather impressionist style and from 1912 he evolved towards Fauvism.
Œuvres dans les collections publiques Bordeaux, Musée des beaux-arts :
Tramway devant la place des Quinconces (II), 1892 Venise matin brumeux, 19123 ; Bord de la Creuse à Crozant4 ; Martigues5 ; Un Arbre à l'automne6 ; La Gondole, 19057 ; La Meule, 19058 ; Bord de rivière9 ; L'Été, sous-bois, 189110 ; Le Père Boyreau au printemps dans la lande brédoise, 189411 ; Vue de la Bastide, 188312 ; Les Quais de Bordeaux, 189213 ; Le Quai de la Grave à Bordeaux (1884)14.
Cognac, Musée d'art et d'histoire Le fumeur de pipe (1893) Dijon, Musée des beaux-arts :
Paysage (1891) Guéret, Musée de la Sénatorerie La Sédelle en octobre à Crozant (1923) Pau, Musée des beaux-arts :
La Place de la Concorde sous la pluie (1888) Paris, Musée d'Orsay :
Sous-Bois (1891) Harmonie d'été (1911) Portrait de la mère de l'artiste Rouen, Musée des Beaux-arts Jeune fille lisant (c 1910) Savannah, Telfair Museum of Art Déjeuner sous les bois15 Vue de Bordeaux du Pont de Pierre16.
Venise, Museo Ca'Pesaro Les quais de Bordeaux, le matin (1895) Bibliographie Louis Mirande, Alfred Smith : le peintre de Crozant, Saint Amand, 1930, 15 p..
Christophe Rameix "L'école de Crozant; les peintres de la Creuse et de Gargilesse. Limoges éd.Lucien Souny 1991 (ISBN 2-905262-53-2) et réedition 2002.
Christophe Rameix : " Les Maîtres de la Creuse " catalogue d'exposition . Dun le Palestel 1997. (ISBN 2-9511391-0-1) Christophe Rameix : "Impressionnisme et postimpressionnisme dans la vallée de la Creuse. éd. Christian Pirot- La Simarre . Joué lès Tours 2012 (ISBN 978-2-36536-008-1) (en) « Alfred Smith [archive] », extrait de la notice dans le dictionnaire Bénézit Accès payant, sur Oxford Art Online, 2011 (ISBN 9780199773787).
Olivier Le Bihan (dir.), Alfred Smith 1853-1936 : Un regard sur la vie moderne, Bordeaux, Somogy éditions d'Art et Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux, 6 décembre 2007, 192 p. (EAN 9782757201602).
