Mark Smith 2008 Acrylic Painting on Canvas Board "Untitled"
Item Details
Mark Smith (American; 20th/21st century)
Untitled, 2008
Acrylic on canvas board
Signed “Mark” to upper right
Titled, dated, and inscribed to verso
Provenance
From the studios of Visionaries + Voices – a non-profit organization that provides exhibition opportunities, studio space, supplies, and support to more than 125 visual artists with disabilities.
An untitled acrylic painting on canvas board by Cincinnati-based artist Mark Smith (20th/21st century), created in 2008. This abstract work features irregular loose fields of vibrant colors portrayed with large gestural brushstrokes. Signed ‘Mark’ in paint to the upper right, the work is presented under acrylic in a black metal frame. It is titled, dated, and inscribed to the verso.
Mark Smith’s drawings and paintings reveal a world of women, masks and monsters that draw from a collective cultural memory. Images accumulated from movies and magazines become a part of Smith’s visual vocabulary and translate into his artwork repeatedly in a primordial style. Mark Smith’s masks, intended to portray the phantom killer Michael Myers from the Halloween movies, more closely resemble tribal masks of primitive and folk artists. This juxtaposition of past and present, pop and primitive shows an instinctual sensitivity to our collective human culture. A closer inspection of his work uncovers an expressivity of line not seen since the action paintings of Cy Twombly. Smith’s intense methodology is the source. Producing a piece of work involves layer upon layer of continuous scribbled line, usually without lifting the mark-making device from the surface. Whether pencil, marker, oil pastel or paint Smith works intently, his focus becoming an integral part of the process and his intensity coming through in color and texture. Mark Smith has been making artwork at the Visionaries + Voices studios for 5 years. His work can be seen at the Northside studio location and has been exhibited in other venues in Cincinnati including Prairie Gallery.
Condition
- minor wear scattered throughout frame.
Dimensions
- measurement of frame; visible image measures approximately 23.25" W x 19.25" H.
Item #
18DCC475-067
