Robert Smith “Curtain Call”

Viridian Artists, Inc.

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Viridian Artists presents a solo exhibition of compelling photographs by Robert Smith entitled “Curtain Call.” The show opens March 15th and continues through April 9th, 2022 with a reception Thursday, March 17th, 5-8 PM. In addition to seeing this fascinating exhibit in person, you can see the exhibit virtually on the Viridian Artists website at www.viridianartists.com.

Following on his 2016 exhibition, Smith continues to explore the nexus of the material world of fabric and the physical world of motion created by the movement of air currents through cotton curtains.

While Smith’s oeuvre has consisted mainly of the closeup undisturbed natural landscape, in later years he has become absorbed with the closeup imagery of the interplay of curtains and the wind. Here, the result is a panoply of visual sensations, from the bold and dramatic to the lyrical and sublime. A breeze develops into a wind that catches the fabric, moving it serendipitously, capturing it into artistic compositions that recall the abstract paintings of Franz Kline and Robert Motherwell, and the photographs of Aaron Siskind.

These deconstructed images reveal the chiaroscuro of light falling on ephemeral folds of curtains backdropped by the sash and trim of the screened windows. Compositions range from the simple to the complex with powerful and evocative blacks measured against mysterious and magical shadows. While each image is further titled only with a digital number, they could conjure their own title, e.g., “The Girl with the Flaxen Hair” and “Shark Tank.” The artist wonders if the viewer could spot these.

Smith considers his curtain series a dynamic metaphor of the ever-changing world, offering myriad possibilities of bringing people and the environment into symbiosis with the prospect of a more positive future. Perhaps the next time you see a curtain blowing in the wind, you will be reminded of this experience. Take a bow, Robert!

Smith’s work is in numerous private and corporate collections in the United States, Canada, Japan, South Africa and throughout Europe.