Josh Smith
Big Fish (2013)
Edition of 75
Aquatint with spit bite and dry point on Hahnemuhle 300 gsm
56.5 x 78 cm (22.2 x 30.7 in)
Signed, numbered and dated by the artist on the front
£1,200.00
Josh Smith is well known for his paintings which use primarily simply represented fish, leaves, and the letters of his own name, re-configured in various combinations and presented in a reduced, abstracted style.
In the context of Smith's fish paintings, 'Big Fish' is an unusually detailed drawing - his paintings frequently condense fish down into the simplest possible combination of three or four brushstrokes. "You cannot paint it wrong," Smith has said. 'Big Fish' instead is beautifully executed with soft washes and delicate lines. The inspiration for this artwork came from the New York printing studio where 'Big Fish' was created - the studio's previous occupant had left behind a mounted fish on the wall, which, given Smith's predisposition to using fish in his work, became the obvious subject matter for his Counter Edisions print. Endlessly replicated by hand and by mechanised copy, the repetitive and vaguely generic quality of Josh Smith's work gains momentum as a collection of signifiers deprived of their significance.
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