The following description has been prepared entirely by the current owner, Roberts S. Fastov, Esq., and, at the collector’s request, has not been edited by Sloans & Kenyon

Note 1): Per Findagrave.com website, Smith was “[o]ne of the few English painters to excel in painting nudes, he was also known for his landscapes & still lifes. He was awarded the CBE in 1949 (Emphasis added).” “ Per Encyclopedia.Farlex.com website: Smith was “an English artist. Influenced by the Fauves, he is known for his exuberant treatment of nudes, luscious fruits and flowers, and his landscapes of Cornwall and southern France. His works display a sumptuousness of colour which have no modern British rival. He was knighted in 1954. Smith studied at the Slade School and in Paris, working for a short time in Matisse's school in 1911. His mature style developed in the 1920s (Emphasis added).” Per freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com: “He produced a large number of paintings of female nudes, flowers, fruit, and landscapes [1923-40], and he continued to produce still life and large decorative subjects despite ill health and failing eyesight. He painted directly from the subject, beginning by drawing the composition in thin paint well-diluted with oil. This enabled him to wash out any problem areas. He would then add colour and work at great speed, completing the painting in 2 or 3 short sittings. He displayed a sumptuousness of vivid colour in which he had no modern British rival (Emphasis added).” Per the invaluable.com website: “[H]e settled in Paris [c. 1908] and exhibited several of these works at the Salon Des Indépendants before beginning to build more ambitious compositions using related and contrasting colours. These show the influence of Fauvism and of Matisse, whose studio he attended briefly in 1910. he also made an intensive study of Ingres, whose work retained particular significance for him. in canvases painted between 1914 and 1920, when he joined the London Group, he acknowledged the flatness of the picture surface with areas of strong unmodulated colour and emphatic design. Fitzroy street nude no. 1 (1916; London, Tate) is characteristic in the tension created not only through a bold use of complementary colours—the green shadows of the nude against a vibrant red ground—but also in the contrast between direct observation from the model and the blatant artifice of his colour and exaggerated drawing.” These characteristics are clearly manifested in this lot, “Nude in Red and Blue,” especially his use of the vibrant red chair, as shadowed by the blue drape and greenish (viewer’s) left background.

Note 2) To justify the reasonableness of the above presale estimate of $25,000-$40,000, see the auction records and Artprice.com for these kinds of Smith’s oil painted female nudes and portraits, which have sometimes sold for between $50,000 and $150,000. See, e.g., “Reclining Figure, Madame Plichta” (17.99 in. x 24.13 in.) was sold by Christie’s, London for $56,450 on 05/26/2011 as lot 158; in. Simone” (37.01 in. x 24.02 in.) was sold by Christie’s, London for $50,100 on 11/11/2010 as lot 30; “Portrait of an Indian Lady” (36.02 in. x 27.99 in.) was sold by Christie’s London for $155,320 on 6/18/2008 as lot 122. See below for these Smith paintings of female nudes and portraits and other paintings sold at auction, per Askart.com and Artprice.com.

Title/Subject: Reclining Figure, Madame Plichta Unsigned. Oil on canvas. 17.99 in. x 24.13 in. sold for $56,450 on 05/26/2011 at Christie’s London

Title/Subject: Simone Unsigned.

Oil on canvas. 37.01 in. x 24.02 in

sold for $50,100 on 11/11/2010 at

Christie’s London

Title/Subject: Portrait Of An Indian Lady Unsigned. Oil on canvas. 36.02 in. x 27.99 in. sold for $155,320 on 6/18/2008 at Christie’s London

Title/Subject: Nude With Mauve Drapery Unsigned. Oil on canvas. 24.02 in. x 32.01 in. sold for $72,750 on 6/06/2008 at Christie’s London

Title/Subject: Reclining Nude Signed with initials Oil on canvas. 23 in. x 31 1/8 in. sold for $27,514 on 11/18/2005 at Christie’s London

Title/Subject: Plaster Cast Unsigned. Oil on canvas. 29 in. x 31.8 in. sold for $51,884 on 11/17/2004 at Sotheby’s, London

Title/Subject: Nu Couchée Unsigned. Oil on canvas. 25 3/8 in. x 28 ¾ in. sold for $46,948 on 3/16/2004 at Bonhams, London

Title/Subject: Reclining Nude Unsigned. Oil on canvas. 21 1/8 in. x 26 in. sold for $40,760 on 6/12/1998 at Christie’s London

Title/Subject: Seated Nude Signed with initials. Oil on canvas. 28 ¾ in. x 23 5/8 in. sold for $43,513 on 11/26/1997 at Sotheby’s, London