Hughie Lee-Smith, Untitled (Urban Scene), 1955, oil on Masonite, Columbus Museum of Art, Ohio: Museum Purchase, Derby Fund.
“Realist in age of abstraction” is one of those chestnuts that gets hauled out on a regular basis, when a painter who happens to be a realist gets a second look from the bigger art world and finally realizes this is very good work indeed.
Hugh Lee-Smith (1915-1999) is one such artist who I think anyone interested in American painting should study. Born in Florida, he has Ohio roots, having attended the Cleveland Institute of Art for his initial training. Moving to Detroit, he received his bachelor’s degree from Wayne State University.
Lee-Smith had a long and successful career and – though he had a deep understanding of cubism, surrealism and social realism – he remained a realist painter. His works have a distinct quality with a mysterious, edgy feel to them.
While the teaching of traditional painting has long fallen from the curricula of many art schools, today there is something of a revival on a small scale of the workshop tradition. I asked local artist Mary Jane Ward about her experiences with this type of training.
“I moved to Ohio about two years ago. I had been living in New York City and studying under Jacob Collins at the Grand Central Atelier. The whole time I was there, I felt an incredible gratitude for the opportunity. There is an immense value to learning directly from artists who have mastered what you are trying to achieve, and who are dedicated to passing on these skills, as a master craftsman to an apprentice,” Ward says. “I think I was attracted to the idea that there was a technique to master. Having been a professional ballet dancer for many years, that was something that translated. In ballet, you have to master technique before you are able to express yourself as an artist, even if you later choose to question, experiment with or even reject some of those traditions. That mindset applied readily to the Atelier method. It may not seem very interesting to spend months drawing plaster casts of eyes, mouths and ears, but the discipline is the same as in dance: start with the basics, or fundamentals. And time, patience and repetition will yield results.”
Paintings by Ward and Ed Shuttleworth will be on display at the Griffin Gallery at Creekside in Gahanna from Sept. 22 to Oct. 25. Find out more at www.griffingalleryatcreekside.com.
Michael McEwan teaches oil painting classes in his Summit Street studio. His paintings are available exclusively from Keny Galleries. Learn more at www.michaelmcewan.com.
