Jeffrey Smart (1921-2013), one of Australia’s most celebrated painters, built his reputation on meticulously composed urban landscapes – scenes of stark geometry, bold colour, and an unsettling stillness. Whilst best known for his paintings, Smart also explored printmaking, collaborating with master printer Neil Leveson (1948-1992) at the Australian Print Workshop (APW) in the 1980s. The resulting lithographs reflect his characteristic precision, offering a fascinating insight into how Smart adapted his vision for a new medium.
By the time he arrived at the APW, Smart was a firmly established artist, having spent decades refining his distinct aesthetic. His decision to create prints was not a casual experiment but a carefully considered extension of his practice. Central to this transition was his collaboration with Leveson, a master print technician who helped translate Smart’s compositions into the language of printmaking. Known for this meticulous creative process, Smart did not approach printmaking spontaneously, instead he developed preliminary sketches and detailed studies that mapped out every element of the final outcome. These sketches served as blueprints for the final print, allowing Smart to refine perspective, balance, and spatial relationships before the final process of printing.
Smart’s paintings are defined by their crisp edges and smooth surfaces, elements that do not easily lend themselves to the natural forms of lithography. Unlike oil painting, where layers can be altered and refined over time, lithography requires precise planning from the beginning. His preliminary sketches played a crucial role in this process, helping to ensure that each piece of the puzzle was carefully structured before it reached the printing stage, and with Leveson’s technical guidance, Smart translated these sketches on to lithographic stones. The process required multiple proofing stages, with Smart making adjustments to tonal and line aspects, along with spatial depth to achieve the clarity and precision that he was seeking.
The Last Train (1989) exemplifies Smart’s structured approach. The preliminary sketches show his drafting process, with the composition carefully plotted before the final prints were produced. The print itself presents an empty railway station at dusk, bathed in artificial light. The stark stairs leading into the platforms, angular structures, and a lone figure on the stations edge, enhance the sense of solitude and quiet anticipation. As with his paintings, every element in The Last Train is precisely positioned, demonstrating Smart’s ability to create tension through his artistic language.
Jeffrey Smart’s collaboration with Neil Leveson at the Australian Print Workshop resulted in a small but significant body of prints that stand as testaments to his artistic discipline. The preliminary sketches, the meticulous proofing process, and the seamless transition of his vision into print all reinforce Smart’s reputation as a master of stillness. Even in print, he remained an artist of precision, discipline, and quiet intensity – his cityscapes and structures forever frozen in perfect, geometric balance.
Our forthcoming April Prints & Multiples auction presents an important edition of The Last Train, accompanied by three preliminary printers sketches from the Estate of Neil Leveson.
By Hannah Ryan, Senior Prints & Multiples Specialist
Images above: Jeffrey Smart (1921-2013) The Last Train 1989, lithograph, ed. B/T, accompanied by three preliminary printers sketches. © The Estate of Jeffrey Smart. $5,000-7,000
March 2025