Waves of Beauty, Tides of Light

“Speed, whipping wind and the crying of gulls—flying spray and salt on the lips.  It was good to be alive and on the water again!”

American marine artist Frank Vining Smith (1879-1967) wrote this about a fishing expedition off Cuttyhunk Island in 1943.  In this captured moment of delight we glimpse one of the great passions of Smith’s life, a passion that carried him from childhood through old age, inspiring his art and suffusing his life until he was, almost literally, awash in it:  the sea.  From an early age Smith was drawn to the ocean.  Lucky for us, his first ambition—to become a sailor—was thwarted by poor eyesight, because it led to him pursuing the career in art that he is known for today. 

The Art of Frank Vining Smith, a major retrospective of the artist’s work, is the newest exhibit in our Art Museum.  In it, visitors can see not only some of the finest examples of Smith’s work, but also get a glimpse into the man behind the easel through sketches, journals, early advertising work, cartoons, correspondence and artifacts from his private studio. 

Chatham Bars, by Frank Vining Smith.  Collection of Heritage Museums & Gardens.  Copyright 2008 Lance Keimig Photographics.

“The water is a thing to marvel over. The greens & violet, turquoise & ultramarine chase each other from foreground to horizon in a veritable chaos of tones.  A black opal glowing and changing, fairly made me despair of showing it on canvas…” (journal entry, January 1932)

Smith’s paintings sold well during his lifetime, granting him the kind of success and achievement that few artists experience.  What was it about his art that so captivated people? Smith often painted tall ships of a bygone era and his understanding of sailing vessels—how they ride the sea, their weight and movement in rough waters and calm—lent an accuracy and vividness to his paintings that won him high praise with art critics and sailors alike.  Perhaps tall ships—all but vanished from the seas by that time, but still within memory’s reach—hearkened back to what must have seemed a golden and idyllic age in the period that encompassed two world wars and the Great Depression. But what has come across most strongly to us in creating the exhibit is Smith’s genuine love for the subjects he painted and the warmth of humor that touches so many of his works.

The Art of Frank Vining Smith opens to the public Saturday, June 26^th and runs through October 31^st, 2010. 

Spindrift, by Frank Vining Smith. Private Collection.