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Smith, Donald John

1926 – 2014

Born in rural Lewis he studied at Gray's School of Art in Aberdeen where he was hailed in 1958 as the outstanding student of the year by Principal Ian Fleming RSA. From 1974 until his death, Smith worked from a studio on the west side of Lewis, concentrating on images of local fishermen at work as well as portraits of other islanders. His painting acknowledges movements in Europe and America but remained resolutely local in its subject matter; his intense, lyrical images of island fishermen and women celebrate their indomitable human spirit. In 2011, five of Donald Smith’s ambitious paintings of Stornoway harbour were exhibited at the City Art Centre in ‘Window to the West’, an examination of the relationship between the visual arts and Gaelic language and culture. In the accompanying catalogue, Professor Murdo Macdonald suggested that a full evaluation of Donald Smith’s prolific and focused work was overdue. Taking up Professor Macdonald's suggestion, the first major exhibition of his work was shown by Ann Lanntair, Stornoway in 2019 but its proposed tour was curtailed owning to the Covid-19 Pandemic. In partnership with The City Art Centre, Ann Lanntair, Stornoway presented, Eileanach: Na dealbhan aig Dòmhnall Mac a’ Ghobhainn / Islander: The Paintings of Donald Smith, running from 29 May to 26 September 2021, this landmark display, part of the Edinburgh Art Festival 2021, was the first major retrospective of his work.



An image from the RSA collection.