Lucien Smith’s Last Paintings Brought His Artistry ‘Full Circle’
Four large-scale ‘Rain Paintings’ anchor ‘Delay of Game,’ now on view at Tripoli Gallery
Summary
Lucien Smith's final works are currently being shown at Tripoli Gallery in 'Delay of Game,' now on view until November 23
The exhibition features four large-scale 'Rain Paintings' created this past August as part of a performance piece
The works trace back to the early-career series that initially put Smith on the map
Lucien Smith spent August at an abandoned baseball field in Montauk, New York, creating what would be his final exhibition. It was Rain Paintings, canvases sprayed by paint-filled fire extinguishers, that launched Smith, an artist turned Serving the People founder and FOOD revivalist, into stardom. Completed just a month prior to his death, at 37, last month, he saw the new show, Delay of Game, as a return to his early-career practice.
Tripoli Gallery in Wainscott, New York, is currently presenting Smith’s final paintings in its ongoing exhibition. The show, which was originally slated for September and rescheduled in lieu of his death, features four large-scale Rain Paintings created as part of a live performance. Its title is drawn from a baseball call: when rain stops the play, the grounds crew roll out a tarp to protect the field. For Smith, the tarp catches the paint.
Canvases take up dedicated walls, their fields of green and pink speckles have an effervescent, meditative quality, reflecting Smith’s own introspection and acceptance at the time of their creation. “A process like this is a gift,” he said. “When I was younger I thought I needed to keep looking, that landing on one thing so early meant I’d be missing something. I let the market and outside criticism dictate my practice, and that was a mistake. Life has taken me full circle. I think it is time to return to the process I was given.”
Delay of Game is now on view until November 23.
Tripoli Gallery
26 Ardsley Road,
Wainscott, NY 11975
