On View
On viewObject number2002.7
The Spectators
Artist
Hughie Lee-Smith
(American, 1915-1999)
Dateca. 1957
Mediumoil on Masonite
Dimensionsframe: 44 × 32 × 2 in. (111.8 × 81.3 × 5.1 cm)
image: 36 × 24 in. (91.4 × 61 cm)
image: 36 × 24 in. (91.4 × 61 cm)
Credit LineGift of Ronda Stryker, William Johnston, and Michael, Megan, and Annie Johnston
Exhibition History"Embracing Diverse Voices: African-American Art in the Collection of the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts," KIA Galleries 3&4 (Oct. 3 - Nov. 29, 2009).
"Embracing Diverse Voices: 80 Years of African-American Art," KIA Traveling Exhibition, Bakersfield Museum of Art (Dec. 13, 2012 – Mar. 10, 2013).
"Lasting Legacy: A Collection for Kalamazoo," Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, Michigan (Sep. 6, 2014 - Jan. 4, 2015).
"Embracing Diverse Voices: 90 Years of African-American Art," KIA Traveling Exhibition, Tyler Museum of Art, Tyler, TX (January 17 - March 20, 2016).
"Embracing Diverse Voices: A Century of African-American Art," KIA Traveling Exhibition, North Carolina Central University Art Museum (October 7 - December 12, 2016).
"The Expressionist Figure," at the KIA (January 19 - May 5, 2019).
"Resilience: African American Artists as Agents of Change," at the KIA (September 14, 2019 - February 16, 2020).
"Unveiling American Genius," KIA Permanent Collection Exhibition, Traditional, Markin, Nay and Groos Galleries (March 1, 2021 - December 31, 2023).Label TextFour figures stand on a concrete platform overlooking a bluish-grey body of water on a cloudy day. Light pours in from the right, highlighting their profiles. The painting has a seemingly tranquil, contemplative tone. But take a closer look; are these young men really together? The three white youths are grouped closely while the African American youth is separated by space and a large fissure in the concrete. What else does the artist do to isolate the figure on the right? What might the artist be saying about the relationship between whites and blacks? And what is the significance of the book?
Hughie Lee-Smith has been called a Social Realist for his painted scenes of urban and rural realism. Working at a time dominated by the Abstract Expressionists’ quickly painted and colorful canvases, Lee-Smith focused on human figures isolated in open spaces.
His quietly powerful and sometimes mysterious paintings challenge the viewer’s perceptions about man and his environment.
