Hughie Lee-Smith (American, 1915-1999). Ambiguities, 1991 . Oil on canvas. 30 x 30 inches (76.2 x 76.2 cm). Signed lower...

Description

Hughie Lee-Smith (American, 1915-1999)
Ambiguities, 1991
Oil on canvas
30 x 30 inches (76.2 x 76.2 cm)
Signed lower right: H. Lee Smith
Inscribed on the stretcher bar: #185

Property from the Collection of a Distinguished Academic Woman

PROVENANCE:
The artist;
Estate of the above;
Private collection, Houston, Texas;
Art Space II, Birmingham, Michigan;
Acquired by the present owner from the above, 2013.

Hughie Lee-Smith's Ambiguities is a hallmark of his mature period, illustrating the artist's extraordinary talent for blending hyperrealism with elements of the surreal. This painting encapsulates his unique style-presenting figures against the stark backdrop of urban desolation, enveloped in a profound psychological tension. As Lee-Smith poignantly reflected on the evolution of his art, "In the 1960s, I began to lose my youthful dream of a better world-free of racism, free of the threat of instantaneous cremation of the bomb-and fed on a slow burning disillusionment. As a consequence, my work turned inward, and I began to seek some sort of essence to it all."

Born in Eustis, Florida, and reared in the vibrant artistic milieu of Cleveland, Ohio, Lee-Smith's early artistic foundation was laid at the Karamu House and furthered at the Cleveland School of Art and the Detroit Society of Arts and Crafts School. His involvement with the Ohio Federal Arts Project preluded his naval service during World War II, after which he furthered his education at Wayne State University with support from the G.I. Bill.

Ambiguities, with its precisely rendered figures and the hauntingly vacant cityscape, reflects the urban decay Lee-Smith witnessed in Detroit. His subjects are placed within this desolate panorama, creating scenes that are compelling in their stillness, rich in mystery, and laden with an air of expectancy. Lee-Smith's artistry went beyond mere representation, capturing the liminal spaces of urban life where reality merges with the subconscious.

After relocating to New York in 1958, Lee-Smith continued to shape young minds while also establishing himself as an artist of profound depth and insight. During his tenure at Howard University and his subsequent fifteen years at the Art Students League, Lee-Smith not only influenced a generation of artists but also garnered significant recognition for his work, culminating in his election as a full academician at the National Academy of Design.

Despite the belated nature of his comprehensive retrospective in 1988, Lee-Smith's oeuvre, including pieces like Ambiguities, has secured its place within prestigious collections, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Ambiguities stands as a poignant testament to Lee-Smith's journey through disillusionment toward a deeper interrogation of existence, exploring the spaces between hope and resignation that define the human condition.




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