Lot 9

Australian Galleries, Sydney (label verso)
Private collection, Sydney
Deutscher~Menzies, Sydney, 14 June 2006, lot 62
Private collection, Melbourne

Jeffrey Smart Paintings and Studies 1993-1998, Australian Galleries, Sydney, 27 October- 21 November 1998, cat. no. 5 (illus. p.11)
Jeffrey Smart Paintings 1958-1999 including Seven New Works, Australian Galleries, Sydney, 27 August-15 September 1999, cat. no. 10

RELATED WORKS:
Conversation Piece 1998, oil on canvas, 60 x 200 cm, Menzies, Melbourne, 27 February 2020, lot 36

Jeffrey Smart drew inspiration from seemingly casual and unassuming sights while traveling and living abroad in Italy. Whether capturing a glimpse of an intriguing shape, a gathering of people on the sidewalk, or the construction of a new bridge along the roadside, Smart's discerning eye translated these images into meticulously detailed sketches and studies, many of which eventuated as larger paintings.
One of his favourite locations for painting was the industrial estate near Arezzo in Italy, nestled close to his Tuscan villa and located along a highway linking Rome, Florence and Bologna. While the exact location of this body of work has never been revealed, they each bear a strong resemblance to his other works of the same area, most notably Arezzo Panorama 2002-03 and Parking Lot Near Bologna 1992.
It was no secret that Smart drew inspiration from the Italian Renaissance artists and their approach to spatial composition and classical aesthetics. Incorporating geometrically precise and meticulously rendered architectural elements into his paintings, Smart's works often feature carefully arranged buildings, roads and objects, showcasing his understanding of these spatial organisations.
Significantly, the Sacra Conversatione holds importance in this study, a theme that emerged during the early Renaissance era in Italy, portraying saints, scholars and patrons in a way that made them physically approachable to general viewers. It has been further suggested by academics that the format of Piero Della Francesca's famous Flagellation of Christ was the prime influence of this piece. Adapting its visual concept, Smart substitutes the ornate posture, attire and classical architecture with contemporary figures engaging in casual conversation - a bare-chested man in jeans, another in a worker's singlet and shorts and a woman in a skirt. The background gives way to 20th century symbols, aligning with the western notion that industrialisation associates with progress and change.
The creation of Conversation Piece was born from five painting studies (the first of which is the present lot), a figure drawing and the major final work, all of which unfolded during the period of 1997-1998, when Smart was preparing for a significant retrospective at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. In this work, First Study for 'Conversation Piece', Smart focuses on the simplicity of form, set against a background of vivid blue. The elongated format primarily comprising of contrasting blocks and rectangles, achieving a harmonious balance of form, colour and light. The imposing structure of the long B-double truck sits centrally with the cab on the left-hand side. Smart's iconic palette accentuates the size of the vehicles by the bold use of orange, green and white with the positioning of three conversing figures on the left, from which the artwork derives its name. In his further studies, Smart goes on to explore these subjects further, introducing multiple trucks as layered blocks of colour in the second study, however he soon resolves this by returning to the original idea, as in this first painting, determining this concept to be the best for the final painting.
Smart developed a meticulous working process as a tribute to artists of the past that allowed him to achieve his most refined results. First Study for 'Conversation Piece', along with the subsequent studies and the final painting, took centre stage in a major exhibition of Smart's works at Australian Galleries in 1998. This body of work was particularly highlighted for its daring use of primary colours, conveying a timeless sensibility all while narrating a story that is uniquely and undeniably Jeffrey Smart.

Lucy Foster
Senior Specialist, Fine Art

© The Estate of Jeffrey Smart