Marshall Joseph Smith, Jr.
(American/New Orleans, 1854-1923)

Amanda Winstead Fine Art is pleased to offer this sweeping landscape by 19th century Bayou School artist Marshall Joseph Smith, Jr. A student of Richard Clague, Smith embraced the Louisiana landscape tradition, with the focal point of the composition a large imposing moss-laden live oak tree. In the work offered here, a lone figure crosses a footbridge below the oak tree. Over his shoulder, he carries a large sack using a cane to support the weight. The fragility of this lone figure is emphasized by the artist’s minute brushstrokes, characteristic of Smith’s work. The beauty of the scene combined with the hardships of the figure, create a complexity recognizable in Smith’s mature compositions. Paintings by Smith of this large scale are rarely found on the market, and compared to his contemporaries in the Bayou School, his body of work is small in general.