Oil paint on canvas
Tate Collection
Works with images
General Collection
Chantrey Bequest
Collection
<a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/augustus-john-om-1362" aria-label="More by Augustus John OM" data-gtm-name="header_link_artist" data-gtm-destination="page--artist">Augustus John OM</a>
Matthew Smith
Presented by the Trustees of the Chantrey Bequest 1950
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<p>After the first world war, John’s style changed little and his portrait compositions remained consistent. He preferred head and torso portraits, rather than full-length figures, painted before simple backgrounds such as a curtain or the studio wall. Despite relying on income from portraits to support his large family, many were uncommissioned or executed at the suggestion of friends.</p><p>This portrait of the artist Matthew Smith, an old and admired colleague, was painted in 1944, towards the end of John’s career. Smith stayed with the Johns in Hampshire after the loss of his two sons during the second world war.</p><p><em>Gallery label, November 2004</em></p>
painting oil paint canvas
Matthew Smith
support: 610 × 508 mm
frame: 785 × 680 × 110 mm
Presented by the Trustees of the <a href="/search?gid=999999977" data-gtm-name="tombstone_link_bequest" data-gtm-destination="list-page--search-results">Chantrey Bequest</a> 1950
<div class="pbodytext">
<span class="text7">After the first world war, John’s style </span><span class="text14">changed little and his portrait compositions</span><span class="text7"> remained consistent. He preferred head and torso portraits,      rather than full-length </span><span class="text15">figures, painted before      simple backgrounds</span><span class="text7"> </span><span class="text14">such      as a curtain or the studio wall. Despite</span><span class="text7"> </span><span class="text16">relying on income from portraits to support</span><span class="text7"> </span><span class="text17">his large family, many were      uncommissioned</span><span class="text7"> or executed at the      suggestion of friends. </span>
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<span class="text7">
<br/> </span>
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<div class="pbodytext">
<span class="text7">This portrait of the artist Matthew Smith, </span><span class="text14">an old and admired colleague, was painted</span><span class="text7"> in 1944, towards the end of John’s career. Smith stayed      with the Johns in Hampshire after the loss of his two sons during the      second world war. </span>
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2004-11-11T00:00:00
display-caption
DISPLAY_CAPTION
<p><b>N05929</b> MATTHEW SMITH 1944
<br/>
<br/>Inscr. ‘John’ t.r.
<br/>Canvas, 24×20 (61×50·5).
<br/>Chantrey Purchase from Stewart Grainger 1950.
<br/><i>Coll:</i> Purchased by Stewart Grainger from the Leicester Galleries 1948.
<br/><i>Exh:</i> Temple Newsam, Leeds, July–August 1946 (67); Arts Council, <i>British Painters</i>, <i>1939–1945</i>, 1946 (32); Leicester Galleries, May 1948 (33).
<br/><i>Repr:</i> Herbert Read, <i>Contemporary British Art</i>, 1951, pl.1; <i>The Times</i>, 24 November 1956, p.14.</p>
<p>Sir Matthew Smith (1879–1959), the painter. Like Augustus John he was a pupil of the Slade School. He painted John's <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/p/portrait" title="Glossary definition for 'Portrait'"><span>portrait</span></a> several times and it was in 1944 when Sir Matthew was <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/p/painting" title="Glossary definition for 'Painting'"><span>painting</span></a> John that the latter painted this portrait. No preliminary sketches were made.</p>
<p><b>Published in:</b>
<br/>Mary Chamot, Dennis Farr and Martin Butlin, <i>The Modern British Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture</i>, London 1964, I
<br/></p>

Catalogue entry
2004-10-08T00:00:00
catalogue-entry
CATALOGUE_ENTRY
adults artist - non-specific artist, painter arts and entertainment British clothing and personal items individuals: male knight man, old named individuals nationality objects people portraits royalty and social rank Smith, Matthew society spectacles work and occupations