Collecting

Prints by Richard Smith

Although artist Richard Smith was primarily known as an abstract painter, he was also celebrated for his printmaking, creating unique and limited edition prints in a variety of mediums. The etchings and monotypes in this presentation are part of a collection made with master printers Hugh Stoneman and Alan Cox in Penzance, Cornwall in 1997.

Each characterised by their vibrant, jewel-like colour palettes and fluid graphic forms, Smith's printed works reflect imagery from his paintings. With their energetic brushstrokes and watercolour-like texture, the works present a strong link with the untitled compositions produced by Smith at the time and his interest in the hidden grid-like warp and weft of a canvas, further accented by his interwoven constructions. 

Colour has been central to Richard Smith’s practice: these works reveal colour groupings combined in an intuitive manner, harmonies which can be likened to radio waves pulsating energy. The winding brush strokes over more rigid horizontal lines are reminiscent of the staves of sheet music and convey a state of flux, both in terms of the visual forms which seem to move before the viewer’s eyes and in the diverse emotional reactions they inspire.