Items Similar to Home, African Village Scene Orange Sky, African American Artist
Video Loading
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 13
Vincent D. SmithHome, African Village Scene Orange Sky, African American Artist1976
1976
$7,500
£5,734.15
€6,604.58
CA$10,509.80
A$11,733.20
CHF 6,148.02
MX$143,625.92
NOK 78,079.94
SEK 73,619.47
DKK 49,290.67
About the Item
An African village scene is characterized by bold colors and a punchy flat orange sky combined with a post-impressionist paint application for the tree and the house. In the foreground, we see an African mother with two children standing outside her "Home." The work is created by African American artist Vincent D. Smith. It is signed lower right, Vincent, showing homage to Vincent Van Gogh, from whom the art word borrows some influence. Clearly, Smith has developed his own personal style, combining an African American persona with an African subject matter.
Original metal frame under glass.
The uploaded video is coming up light. Use the still image as a reference for color.
Vincent DaCosta Smith (December 12, 1929 – December 27, 2003) was an American artist, painter, printmaker and teacher. He was known for his depictions of black life.
Early life
Vincent DaCosta Smith was born on December 12, 1929, in the Bedford-Stuyvesant[1] neighborhood of Brooklyn, to Beresford Leopole Smith and Louise Etheline Todd. Both were immigrants from Barbados.[2] He was raised in Brownsville, Brooklyn and Smith drew what he saw around him.[citation needed] He attended an integrated school where he studied piano and the alto sax.
worked a range of jobs before he became a full-time artist. At 16, he worked for the Lackawanna Railroad repairing tracks. At 17, Smith enlisted in the army and traveled with his brigade for a year.[3] It wasn't until after his time in the army that Smith began to paint and printmaking.[4] At the age of 22, Smith was working in a post office where he grew to be friends with fellow artist Tom Boutis.[1]
Art education
Tom Boutis took Smith to a Paul Cézanne show at the Museum of Modern Art in 1951. After seeing the Cézanne show, Smith resigned from his position at the post office and began reading extensively about art.
He studied at the Art Students League of New York with Reginald Marsh.[citation needed]
Later, he began to sit in on classes at the Brooklyn Museum Art School, where the instructors would let him join in on the lessons and the criticisms.[3] After attending classes at the Brooklyn Museum Art School and the Art Students League of New York, he was accepted and received a scholarship to the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine,[4] where he studied from 1953 to 1956.
Beginning in 1954,[5] he started taking official classes at the Brooklyn Museum Art School, and studied painting, etching, and woodblock printmaking.[4]
Career
Smith was a figurative painter who used abstractions and materiality to make something new.[6] Smith's work depicts the rhythms and intricacies of black life through his prints and paintings.[7] Many of his paintings and prints rely heavily on patterns.[6] According to Ronald Smothers, Vincent D. Smith's work "stood as an expressionistic bridge between the stark figures of Jacob Lawrence and the Cubist and Abstract strains represented by black artists like Romare Bearden and Norman Lewis."[7] Smith has described his own work as "a marriage between Africa and the West."[3] Over his life, he worked in both painting and printmaking.
In 1959, Smith won the John Hay Whitney Fellowship which allowed him to travel to the Caribbean for a year.[8] During this year he was deeply inspired by the customs and lifestyle of the native people.[8] Throughout his life, Smith attended various art schools but it was not until turning 50 he returned to college to earn an official degree.[7]
From 1967 until 1976 he taught at the Whitney Museum’s Art Resource Center.[2] Later in 1985, he taught printmaking at the Center for Art and Culture of Bedford Stuyvesant.
Death and legacy
Smith died in Manhattan on the December 27, 2003 from lymphoma and related complications.[7] Smith was aged 74.[7]
His work is included in many public museum collections including Art Institute of Chicago,[9] Newark Museum of Art,[1] Museum of Modern Art (MoMA),[1] Metropolitan Museum of Art,[1] Yale University Art Gallery,[10] Davidson Art Center,[11] Fitzwilliam Museum,[12] Brooklyn Museum,[13] Albright-Knox Art Gallery,[14] Rhode Island School of Design Museum,[15] among others.
Exhibitions
Over the course of his career, he had over 25 one-man shows and had his work shown in over 30 group shows.[7]
Vincent D. Smith had shown in a range of galleries and museums over his life-span. In 1970, he had his first individual exhibition at the Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. His first retrospective was in 1989 at the Schenectady Museum in Schenectady, New York.[2]
Solo shows:
1974 - The Portland Museum of Art, Portland, Maine[2]
1974 - Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, New York[2]
1989 - Schenectady Museum (Retrospective 1964-1989), Schenectady, New York
Awards and honors
This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
1959 – John Hay Whitney Fellowship, John Hay Whitney Foundation, New York City, New York[8]
1967 – Artist in Residence, Smithsonian Conference Center
1968 – Grant, The American Academy and National Institute of Arts and Letters, New York
1971 – Creative Public Service Award for the Cultural Council Foundation, New York
1973 – National Endowment of the Arts and Humanities Travel Grant, New York
1973-1974 – Childe Hassam Purchase Award, American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York City, New York
1974 – Thomas P. Clarke Prize, National Academy of Design, New York
1981 – Windsor and Newton Award, National Society of Painters in Casein and Acrylic , New York.
1985-1986 – Artist-in-Residence, Kenkeleba House Gallery, New York.
Works
Below are some selected works:
Study for Mural at Boys and Girls High School, 1972, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York
A Moment Supreme, 1972, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York
The Triumph of B.L.S., 1973, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York
Jonkonnu Festival, 1996, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York
Murals
Mural for Crotona/Tremont Social Service Center, The Human Resource Administration, New York, New York 1980[1]
Mural for Oberia D. Dempsey Multi-Service Center of Central Harlem, New York, New York 1989[1]
Publications
Print portfolios
Impressions: Our World, Volume I (a portfolio of seven etchings - five with aquatint, two with embossing). Emma Amos, Benny Andrews, Vivian Browne, Eldzier Cortor, Norman Lewis, Vincent D. Smith, John Wilson (all were collaborating artists) (35 ed.). New York City, New York: Printmaking Workshop. 1974.[1]
Smith, Vincent D. (1994). Eight Etchings, 1965–1966 (40 ed.). G.W. Einstein Co., Inc.
Book illustrations
Amiri Baraka (LE Roi Jones) and Aminia Baraka The Music: Reflections on Jazz and Blues. William Morrow Company, New York, 1987[1]
Amiri Baraka; The Kaleidoscopic Torch, James B. Gwynne, ed., Stepping Stones Press, 1985[1]
Marguerite P. Dolch, Stories from Africa, Garrard Publishing Company, Campaign, Illinois, 1975[1]
References
Patton, Sharon (1990). Vincent D. Smith: Riding on a Blue Note:Monoprints and Works on Paper on Jazz Themes (exhibition catalogue). New York City, NY: Louis Abrons Arts Center, Henry Street Settlement. pp. 1970–1972.
Smith, V. D (1994). Vincent D. Smith: An appreciation : January 25-February 24, 1994, Robeson Center Art Gallery, Robeson Campus Center, Rutgers University. Robeson Center Gallery.
Smith, Vincent (15 November 1980). "A Painter Looks Back". New York Amsterdam News.
"Library Shows Work of Young Artist". New York Amsterdam News. 15 February 1958.
St. James Guide to Black Artists. Gale. 1997. pp. 499–501.
Cotter, Holland (26 September 2003). "Art in Review".
Smothers, Ronald (2004-01-03). "Vincent Smith, 74, Painter Who Portrayed Black Life". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
"Whitney Fellowship Winners Announced". New York Amsterdam News. 27 June 1959.
"Vincent Smith". The Art Institute of Chicago. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
"Amnesty, Artist: Vincent DaCosta Smith, American, 1929–2003". Yale University Art Gallery, Yale University. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
"Vincent Dacosta Smith, Oooooooeeee Baby - DAC Collection Search". Davison Art Center, Wesleyan University. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
"Shadows in Harlem, 1965". The Fitzwilliam Museum. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
"Report from the Caucus Room, 1969". Brooklyn Museum. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
"Vincent DaCosta Smith". Albright-Knox Art Gallery. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
"Vincent Dacosta Smith, First Day of School, 1965". RISD Museum. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
About the Seller
4.9
Gold Seller
Premium sellers maintaining a 4.3+ rating and 24-hour response times
Established in 2005
1stDibs seller since 2016
115 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: 1 hour
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: Miami, FL
- Return Policy
Authenticity Guarantee
In the unlikely event there’s an issue with an item’s authenticity, contact us within 1 year for a full refund. DetailsMoney-Back Guarantee
If your item is not as described, is damaged in transit, or does not arrive, contact us within 7 days for a full refund. Details24-Hour Cancellation
You have a 24-hour grace period in which to reconsider your purchase, with no questions asked.Vetted Professional Sellers
Our world-class sellers must adhere to strict standards for service and quality, maintaining the integrity of our listings.Price-Match Guarantee
If you find that a seller listed the same item for a lower price elsewhere, we’ll match it.Trusted Global Delivery
Our best-in-class carrier network provides specialized shipping options worldwide, including custom delivery.More From This Seller
View AllVillage in Benin Africa - African American Artist Paints Africa in the 1970s
Located in Miami, FL
This is a Post-Post-Impressionist, Post-Expressionist, Post- Fauve depiction of a West African landscape by an African American artist. It is characterized by flat pattens of bold co...
Category
1970s Post-Impressionist Landscape Paintings
Materials
Paper, Pastel, Photographic Paper
Africa - Collage Painting in Orange - African American Artist - Spiral Group
Located in Miami, FL
African American artist Alvin Hollingsworth part of the famous Spiral Group , created an inventive and intriguing close-up portrait with figures in the distance. Found objects such as swatches of burlap, plastic spoons, press type and wood shapes are adhered to the surface make this work an object as much as an image. The overall image is bathed in a super hot orange-yellow. This is Hollingsworth interpretation of the soul of Africa. Indistinctly signed lower right in red. The work makes a powerful statement in person.
Provenance: The Artist to a personal friend. Private collection
Framed dimensions 19 1/4 x 25 1/4 in.
Alvin Carl...
Category
1980s American Modern Figurative Paintings
Materials
Fabric, Burlap, Wood, Oil
Portrait of African Man by African American Artist Expressionist Brush Strokes
Located in Miami, FL
This Portrait of an African Man by an African American artist exhibits penetrating psychological insight and is executed in vibrant colors with quick gestural post-expressionist brus...
Category
1960s Expressionist Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Watercolor, Pen
Back Fence with Bird. - Mid-Century - WPA Artist
By Jenne Magafan
Located in Miami, FL
The Mid-Century mindset
As expected, 65 years ago.. people looked at art/painting a little differently.
Back then, many artists were concerned with depicting simple and beautiful t...
Category
1950s Modern Landscape Paintings
Materials
Masonite, Oil
Devil: No Horns, Burning in Hell, African American Harlem Renaissance
Located in Miami, FL
In a 1971 interview with Ebony Magazine, Alvin Hollinsworth commented on his African Jesus Christ painting, "I have always felt that Christ was a Blac...
Category
1970s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Masonite, Oil
Mid-Century Children's Party Scene . Red and Orange, Native American
Located in Miami, FL
Broad areas of bold, flat red, magenta, and pink characterize this mid-century painting by Barbara Warren Ebersole ( Barbara Tate Ebersole ). It depicts a block party festooned with balloons and a street organ grinder with a smartly dressed performing monkey. The overall look of a lot mid-century art inspires many of today's most celebrated contemporary artists. Signed and dated upper left. Oil on Masonite. Barbara Warren Ebersole was a painter and an author. She may have been of Native American...
Category
1950s American Modern Figurative Paintings
Materials
Masonite, Oil
You May Also Like
African House
Located in Metairie, LA
Clementine Hunter, African House
This is an excellent example of Hunter’s work, featuring the iconic African House. Three figures are present in the work, a boy, a girl, and an elde...
Category
1960s Folk Art Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil, Board, Pencil
Village, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Here is an acrylic painting of African villagers returning home at sunset. Cameroon artist Angu Walters often paints idyllic scenes of traditional African village life. :: Painting :...
Category
2010s Folk Art Landscape Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
"Two Country Village Women Outside Their House, " Oil on Canvas E. Hyppolite
By E. Hyppolite
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Two Country Village Women Outside Their House" is an original oil painting on canvas signed and dated in the lower right corner. It depicts two Haitian women working around their house. There is a variety of lush plants surrounding the house.
24 3/4" x 36" art
26 1/2" x 38 1/4" frame
Framed to conservation standards in a floating frame with an brushed antique gold...
Category
Early 2000s Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Village Life" Oil Painting 12" x 20" inch (1987) by Fathi Afifi
By Fathi Afifi
Located in Culver City, CA
"Village Life" Oil Painting 12" x 20" inch (1987) by Fathi Afifi
Fathy Afifi is an Egyptian Postwar & Contemporary artist who was born in 1950.
He participated in local and interna...
Category
20th Century Post-War Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Haitian Village Figurative Landscape
Located in Soquel, CA
A gorgeous tempura painting of figures carrying goods and taking a break in a Haitian village by Frantz (Freddie) Lamothe (Haitian, b.1961). Signed "F. L...
Category
Mid-20th Century Abstract Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Masonite, Tempera
"Farmer, " Pastel on Paper Abstract Landscape signed by Reginald K. Gee
By Reginald K. Gee
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Farmer" is an original pastel drawing on paper by Reginald K. Gee. The artist signed the piece lower left. It depicts a farmer plowing a field with the help of an animal. A tree and...
Category
1990s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Pastel
More Ways To Browse
Make Art Not War
African American Artists Prints
Sculpture By African American Artists
D Stone Painting
African Metal Art
Woodblock Landscape
American Woodblock
John Smith Vintage
American Artist William Smith
Marsh Scene Paintings
Portland Maine
African Sculptures 1970s
Dutch Village Painting
Vincent Van Gogh Original
Paintings Landscapes Signed Jacobs
Piano Art Sculpture
Portland Stone
Barbados Art