Rethinking the Image

Image source: https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/lilies-37911 (Accessed: 30 August 2026). © The Estate of Sir Matthew Smith

Sir Matthew Smith, Lilies (1913-14), Leeds Art Gallery, 73.6 cm x 53.2 cm, oil on canvas.

See also: https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/reclining-nude-the-mauve-chemise-229974 (Accessed: 30 August 2026).

Sir Matthew Smith, Reclining Nude: The Mauve Chemise (1924), Leeds, The Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery, 53 cm x 71 cm, oil on canvas.

Ever since I saw Nude, Fitzroy Street, No. 1 (1916)^[1] at the Tate Britain, I’ve been eager to see more of Sir Matthew Smith’s work, so I was very pleased when, earlier this year, it was announced that a number of his paintings would feature prominently in a new exhibition at Leeds Art Gallery. In this display, titled Dinner Party, Smith’s work is brought into dialogue with the bronze busts of Jacob Epstein and the colourful assemblages of contemporary artist Olivia Bax.^[2]

Smith’s paintings line the white walls of the large, bright space. There are languid nudes, vibrant still lifes, and swirling landscapes, with rich greens, fiery reds, hot yellows and strong blues – sometimes in the same painting – jostling and clashing in a riot of colour. The influence of the modern French masters, and in particular the work of Matisse,^[1] is immediately evident in these energetic works.

I’m quickly drawn to the first two paintings in the exhibition – The Little Seamstress (c. 1917)^[3] and Lilies (1913-14),^[4] both of which feature a deep cobalt blue background which contrasts beautifully with the paler, brighter colours of their respective subjects. They work incredibly well as a pair, but it is the latter painting – a simple depiction of a bunch of lilies in a painted glass vase – which is perhaps the more visually striking.

In Lilies, each colour has a perfect start and end point, nothing infringes on anything else, and everything exists in a delicate yet vibrant harmony. A similar effect is achieved in many works by Matisse, such as Calla Lilies, Irises and Mimosas (1913).^[5] Here, just like in so much of Matisse’s work, the labour of creation is rendered invisible through precise, economical execution.

The addition of a simple network of perspective lines, sympathetically colour-matched with the lilies, provides a sense of space and gravity, anchoring the vase to the surface on which it is placed. Curiously, in the top third of the painting, these perspective lines become fractured, appearing almost as extensions of the plant itself.

Just up the road at the Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery, another of Smith’s recurring subjects – the reclining female figure – is framed with vivid colour. The model of the paradoxically titled Reclining Nude: The Mauve Chemise (1924) is thought to be Smith’s mistress and muse, Vera Cunningham.^[6] In this work, the influence of Matisse is evident in the both the simplified rendering of the model’s face and the bold outlining of her figure.

In The Mauve Chemise, we see a return of the rich red and green hues which feature prominently in Nude, Fitzroy Street. Here, however, the figure is presented in more naturalistic tones while the reds and greens are resigned to the background, where they appear particularly dark and saturated, as if the lights have been dimmed.

Smith worked quickly on The Mauve Chemise^[6] – a fact which is evident in the thick, short brushstrokes that are visible across its surface. He focuses on the essential characteristics of the model’s figure, concentrating her body into smooth, rounded forms which emphasise her sensuality. Here, just as in Lilies, Smith’s concise depiction of the subject allows his intense colour to take maximum effect.

[1] Art UK (no date) Matthew Arnold Bracy Smith. Available at: https://artuk.org/discover/artists/smith-matthew-arnold-bracy-18791959 (Accessed: 30 August 2026).

[2] Leeds Art Gallery (no date) Dinner Party: With Matthew Smith, Jacob Epstein, Olivia Bax. Available at: https://museumsandgalleries.leeds.gov.uk/dinner-party-with-matthew-smith-jacob-epstein-olivia-bax-4113 (Accessed: 30 August 2026).

[3] Art UK (no date) The Little Seamstress. Available at: https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/the-little-seamstress-38509 (Accessed: 30 August 2026).

[4] Art UK (no date) Lilies. Available at: https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/lilies-37911 (Accessed: 30 August 2026).

[5] WikiArt (no date) Calla Lilies, Irises and Mimosas. Available at: https://www.wikiart.org/en/henri-matisse/calla-lilies-irises-and-mimosas-1913 (Accessed: 30 August 2026).

[6] Art UK (no date) Reclining Nude: The Mauve Chemise. Available at: https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/reclining-nude-the-mauve-chemise-229974 (Accessed: 30 August 2026).