The Art and Life of Jeffrey Smart

Dr Nick Gordon

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Jeffrey Smart is one of Australia’s most loved artists. His paintings of eerily silent yet colourful urban landscapes are prize pieces in Australia’s galleries and private collections, and often evoke a sense of mystery, as if only part of a story has been glimpsed. This course explores his art and his life, from his beginnings in Adelaide, to his breakthrough in Sydney, and the creation of iconic paintings in his studio in Tuscany. In addition, we explore the range of influences on his work, including Piero della Francesca, Cézanne and Léger, his one-time teacher in Paris, and Smart’s at times complicated use of geometry in his composition.

COURSE CONTENT

Lecture 1: The Genesis of Jeffrey Smart
We begin the course by taking a close look at Smart’s formative years and influences, from his early days in Adelaide, to his first trip to Europe, and his Sydney years. Looking closely at this period in his life helps us see how the wide range of influences he absorbed - from Piero della Francesca to Cezanne, Dorrit Black, Drysdale and Leger - would shape the distinctive style he became known for.

Lecture 2: Iconic Smart
In the early 1960s Smart moved to Italy, where he would reside for the rest of his life. But his life would change dramatically in the early 70s when he settled at Posticcia Nuova in southern Tuscany. In this session, we examine Smart’s works from the mid-1960s through to the late 80s, a period when he makes many of his most iconic paintings and a new playfulness in his art comes to the fore.

Lecture 3: Late Smart and his legacy
In the final session, we look at Smart’s work across from the 1990s to his final painting, Labyrinth, and consider how these works consolidate Smart as a painter of modern urban beauty, in which art and the mundane fuse in a beautiful vision of modern, urban life. We then consider Smart’s legacy and his place in the history of modern art.

LECTURER

Dr Nick Gordon is a cultural historian and holds a PhD in history from the University of Sydney. His research into medieval and Renaissance Europe has won numerous academic awards and scholarships, including the University Medal in history from the University of Sydney, and has been published in prestigious peer-reviewed journals. Nick has over 15 years’ experience as a lecturer to university and public audiences.

COURSE STRUCTURE

3 x 1 hour recorded lectures + 3 x 1 hour weekly discussion sessions

OR

3 x 1 hour recorded lectures only.

COURSE DATES

Recorded lectures become available on Fridays from 8 April.

Discussion Classes (limited to 10 people/class)

Tuesdays 9:30am (AEST) 12 April 2022 | 19 April 2022 | 26 April 2022

Tuesdays 7:00pm (AEST) 12 April 2022 | 19 April 2022 | 26 April 2022

REQUIREMENTS
This course does not require any assumed knowledge, only a willingness to learn and an interest in art. Sessions require access to ZOOM (which is free), a device with a camera (such as a tablet or computer with a webcam), and an internet connection.

BOOKING

Please note that all times are in Australian Eastern Standard Time

Book recorded lectures + discussion classes

Book recorded lectures only - these can be accessed at any time.