Jacob Getlar Smith (1898–1958) was an American painter and muralist known for his depictions of urban life and social realism. His works were exhibited in major galleries across the U.S., earning recognition in the New Deal art programs.
Born in New York City, Smith studied at the National Academy of Design (1919–21,) refining his skills in watercolor and oil painting. In 1929, he received a Guggenheim Fellowship, further developing his artistic vision.
Notable works include The Artist’s Wife (1927,) housed in the Brooklyn Museum, and Snow Shovelers (1934,) in the Smithsonian American Art Museum. His murals, commissioned by the U.S. Treasury Section of Painting and Sculpture, include Salisbury, Stage at Byrd’s Inn and Cotton Patch (Federal Building and Post Office, Salisbury, Maryland) and the Nyack, New York Post Office murals (1936.)
Smith also authored art instructional books, including Watercolor Painting for the Beginner (1951) and The Watercolors of Maurice Prendergast (1956,) published in American Artist magazine.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Jacob Getlar Smith
The artist should be a seeing-eye dog for a myopic civilization.
—Jacob Getlar Smith
Topics: The Artist
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