Quai St Michel, Paris

Edgar Rowley- Smart 1887 - 1934

Summary

Summery scene of a Parisian square bathed in a pink and mauve light, painted in an Impressionist style. To the left of the composition is a terrace of tall Parisian townhouse-style buildings with shops and cafes at street level; forming a second side of the square is a similar building with a narrow street running down its left side and a wider road with motorcars travelling on it to the right. The branches of a large leafy tree protude in to the picture from the right. A number of figures populate the scene, although there are none in the foreground, which is in bright sunlight, the buildings to the left casting shadows on the white ground.

Display Label

Quai St Michel, Paris 1928 Edgar Rowley Smart 1887-1934 Oil on canvas Rowley Smart was born in Cheetham Hill, Manchester. He studied at the School of Art from 1901-4 then subsequently at Liverpool School of Art. In 1912 he and Valette were founder members of the Society of Modern Painters in Manchester. Two years later, he re-enrolled at the art school. Possibly encouraged by Valette, Smart also studied in Paris and spent much of his later life there. Both artists admired the work of Monet. However, impressionism was no longer in fashion by the time Smart painted this Parisian square. Purchased 1928.120