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Artist or Maker: Jacob Smits (Rotterdam 1856-1928 Mol)
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Provenance: Collection banque Paribas, Anvers
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Exhibited: Antwerpse Kunstkring, 1919
Rétrospective des oeuvres de Jacob Smits, Bruxelles, Palais des Beaux-Arts, January-February 1931, no. 53
Jacob Smits, BP Biulding, Anvers, September-October 1978, ill. p.29
100 ans Campo, Campo, Anvers, 1997
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Literature: G. Marlier, Peintres et sculpteurs, Jacob Smits, Cahiers de Belgique, Palais des Beaux-Arts, Bruxelles, 1931, ill.20
P. Haesaerts, Jacob Smits, de strijd tusshen licht en schaduw, Diest, 1942
W. Vanbeselaere, Jakob Smits, Kasterlee, 1975, ill. nr. 134
E. Vanden Bosch, La vie et l'oeurve de Jacob Smits, catalogue de l'oeuvre, Anvers, 1930
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Notes: The portraits by the artist are always characterized by a certain melancholy but also by the artist's sensitivity to the character of the portrayed. Jacob Smits was interested in the psychology of the sitter and brought to his portraits an intimate quality.
The present lot depicts George Clemenceau, liberator and also known as 'le tigre', and great hero of the artist. The force of the man is profoundly expressed in the present lot and the high regard held by the artist is evident in the strong and forceful brushstroke used in this portrait. The eyes of the sitter are the most dominant feature. The simple pallet used enhances this even more. Jacob Smits' artistry is well displayed in his rendering of a dark background and coat, the nuance he has given to the skin and the manner in which he has created those piercing eyes so characteristic to the present lot.
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