Lot 30

Gift of the Artist to Neil Leveson
Thence by descent

RELATED WORK:
Jeffrey Smart, The Last Train, oil on canvas, 80 x 79cm, Sotheby's, Sydney, 16 August 1999, lot 8

Jeffrey Smart, one of Australia's most celebrated painters, built his reputation on meticulously composed urban landscapes - scenes of stark geometry, bold colour, and an unsettling stillness. While best known for his paintings, Smart also explored printmaking, collaborating with master printer Neil Leveson (1948-1992) at the Australian Print Workshop in the 1980s. The resulting lithographs reflect his characteristic precision, offering a fascinating insight into how Smart adapted his vision to a new medium.

By the time he arrived at the Australian Print Workshop, Smart was a firmly established artist, having spent decades refining his distinct aesthetic. His decision to create prints was not a casual experiment but a carefully considered extension of his practice. Central to this transition was his collaboration with Leveson who helped translate Smart's compositions into the language of printmaking. Known for this meticulous creative process, Smart did not approach printmaking spontaneously, instead he developed preliminary sketches, detailed studies that mapped out every element of the final outcome. These sketches served as blueprints for the final print, allowing Smart to refine perspective, balance, and spatial relationships before the final process of printing.

Jeffrey Smart's collaboration with Neil Leveson at the Australian Print Workshop resulted in a small but significant body of prints that stand as testaments to his artistic discipline. The preliminary sketches, meticulous proofing process, and the seamless transition of his vision into print all reinforce Smart's reputation as a master of stillness. Even in print, he has remained an artist of precision, discipline, and quiet intensity - his cityscapes and structures forever frozen in perfect, geometric balance.

Deriving from The Estate of Neil Leveson, this print is accompanied by three preliminary printers sketches used to produce the final composition.
(Hannah Ryan, Senior Prints & Multiples Specialist)

© The Estate of Jeffrey Smart