1914, Matthew Smith, Lilies in a Jar -- Courtauld Gallery (London)
From the museum label: Matthew Smith spent several formative years studying and painting in France, including with Henri Matisse in Paris. Matisse encouraged Smith to paint in a more intense and liberated way. This still life is a bold display of his newly energised approach and is anything but 'still' with its strong sense of movement and vibrant colours. Smith said he was not aiming for a conventional representation but wanted to "create something as living as nature, so that it itself I may continue to live".
1914, Matthew Smith, Lilies in a Jar -- Courtauld Gallery (London)
From the museum label: Matthew Smith spent several formative years studying and painting in France, including with Henri Matisse in Paris. Matisse encouraged Smith to paint in a more intense and liberated way. This still life is a bold display of his newly energised approach and is anything but 'still' with its strong sense of movement and vibrant colours. Smith said he was not aiming for a conventional representation but wanted to "create something as living as nature, so that it itself I may continue to live".