Smith, Sir Matthew (1879-1959), was a British artist who became noted for his use of vivid colors applied liberally. He spent much time in France, where the brilliant coloring and vigorous brushwork of a group of artists called the Fauves greatly influenced his work. He studied with the leader of the Fauves, Henri Matisse, in 1911. Smith was noted for his nudes and also painted highly praised landscapes, portraits, and still lifes. Examples of Smith’s works include Fitzroy Street Nude No. 1 (1916), landscapes of Cornwall painted in 1920, the still life Gladioli in a Yellow Jug (1938), and the portrait Augustus John (1940).
Matthew Arnold Bracy Smith was born on Oct. 22, 1879, in Halifax, England. He attended the Manchester School of Art from 1900 to 1904 and the Slade School in London from 1905 to 1907. In 1915, he exhibited with the London Group, a society of British artists formed in 1913. He was knighted in 1954. Smith died on Sept. 29, 1959.
See also Fauves ; Painting (The 1900’s in Europe) .
