Michael Smither
Aotearoa New Zealand, b.1939
Large Kitchen Composition
- 1965
- Oil on board
- Purchased, 1993
- 1244 x 857mm
- 93/45
Tags: animals, bibs (protective wear), blue (color), books, bowls (vessels), cats, chairs (furniture forms), checker pattern, colanders, cups (drinking vessels), eggcups, feeding, food, highchairs (children's chairs), infants, interior, kitchens, mothers, people (agents), saucepans, spoons
Exhibition History
Ape To Zip: Adventures in Alphabet Art, 13 May 2005 – 8 October 2006
In the exhibition Ape to Zip this work was used for the letter B and was displayed with the following label
BAKED BEANS Holding her spoon like a rattle, baby Sarah takes another mouthful. Sarah is Michael Smither's daughter. The cat really looks like it wants a cat door ... There are lots of B words in this painting. How many can you find? Five is good … ten or more is amazing! baked beans, baby, breakfast, bib, bowl, book, box, bench, blonde, boiled egg, broken egg, black cat, (and quite a few blue things).
Related
Notes
A not-so-fond farewell
Whenever I see this painting by Michael Smither I'm struck by two things: how knowingly and accurately he conveys domestic life and how much I hate highchairs.
Notes
Large Kitchen Composition by Michael Smither
This article first appeared in The Press on 8 June 2005
In 1965, when Large Kitchen Composition was painted, Michael Smither was a young, emerging artist on the verge of broader success. Since completing studies at Elam Art School in 1960, he had held a number of solo shows in Auckland, New Plymouth and Wellington, returning to his hometown of New Plymouth in 1962, and marrying in 1963 (the future writer) Elizabeth. He was also a new father.