Fragments of a Faith Forgotten: The Art of Harry Smith

Oct 4, 2023–Jan 28, 2024

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San Francisco and Berkeley, late 1940s and 1950s

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Lured to Berkeley in late 1945 in the hope of continuing his anthropological studies, Smith was quickly drawn into the vibrant Bohemian scene of the Bay Area. Within a few years he had relocated to San Francisco’s Fillmore District, which had emerged as a center of African American life and culture following the removal and incarceration of its Japanese population during the Second World War.

In the Fillmore, Smith forged close connections with musicians and frequented jazz clubs, including San Francisco’s important nightclub Jimbo’s Bop City, where he painted large abstract murals on the walls. At the same time, he applied his notational genius, combined with inspiration from psychedelic drugs, to the execution of a series of deliriously intense, quasi-abstract paintings intended to represent new recordings by Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. These paintings’ elaborate and sinuous forms directly correspond to each phrase and note of the music. Now lost, the paintings can only be seen on color slides.

  • Various colorful geometric and abstract designs all together in greens, blues, and yellows with a black box in the center filled with red, yellow, and white lines.
    Various colorful geometric and abstract designs all together in greens, blues, and yellows with a black box in the center filled with red, yellow, and white lines.

    Harry Smith, Algo Bueno [Jazz Painting], c. 1948–49. Lightbox projection from 35mm slide of lost original painting, 27 7/8 × 28 in. (55.6 × 71.1 cm). Estate of Jordan Belson.

  • Colorful abstract paintings on a black background that looks vaguely cell-like.
    Colorful abstract paintings on a black background that looks vaguely cell-like.

    Harry Smith, Manteca [Jazz Painting], c. 1948–49. Lightbox projection from 35mm slide of lost original painting, 27 3/5 × 21 7/8 in. (70.1 × 55.6 cm). Estate of Jordan Belson

  • Blue and green patterns on a black background with yellow and white abstract squiggly lines.
    Blue and green patterns on a black background with yellow and white abstract squiggly lines.

    Harry Smith, Ko Ko [Jazz Painting], c. 1949–51. Lightbox projection from 35mm slide of lost original painting, 21 7/8 × 29 in. (55.6 × 73.7 cm). Estate of Jordan Belson.

  • Pieces of color and shape form s curves in bright colors highlighted in white and presented on a black background.
    Pieces of color and shape form s curves in bright colors highlighted in white and presented on a black background.

    Harry Smith, Aleph, c. 1953. Ink on paper, 7 × 5 in. (17.8 × 12.7 cm). Private collection

  • An abstract drawing consisting of black swirls, spirals, and dots overlapping each other. The background paper is an off-white color with a three hole punch on the left edge.
    An abstract drawing consisting of black swirls, spirals, and dots overlapping each other. The background paper is an off-white color with a three hole punch on the left edge.

    Harry Smith, Untitled [1048], September 19, 1951. Ink and watercolor on notebook paper, 9 1/2 × 6 in. (24.1 × 15.2 cm). Estate of Jordan Belson

  • An abstract drawing consisting of black and red swirls, spirals, and dots overlapping each other. The background paper is an off-white color with a three hole punch on the left edge.
    An abstract drawing consisting of black and red swirls, spirals, and dots overlapping each other. The background paper is an off-white color with a three hole punch on the left edge.

    Harry Smith, Untitled [1052], c. 1951. Ink and watercolor on notebook paper, 9 1/2 × 6 in. (24.1 × 15.2 cm). Estate of Jordan Belson

  • Yellow, red, and light green abstract oblong shapes shoot out from the center of the piece. Around the edges of the paper, the shapes all become a dark green color.
    Yellow, red, and light green abstract oblong shapes shoot out from the center of the piece. Around the edges of the paper, the shapes all become a dark green color.

    Harry Smith, Untitled, c. 1951. Watercolor on paper, 15 × 12 in. (38.1 × 30.5 cm). Estate of Jordan Belson

  • Pastel shades of yellow, teal, purple, and coral blend together to form the background. Black lines and white highlights make swirling, bubble-like shapes. Random words are scattered throughout the piece, their scraggly text visible beneath the translucent abstract forms.
    Pastel shades of yellow, teal, purple, and coral blend together to form the background. Black lines and white highlights make swirling, bubble-like shapes. Random words are scattered throughout the piece, their scraggly text visible beneath the translucent abstract forms.

    Harry Smith, Untitled, September 28 and October 19, 1951. Ink, watercolor, and tempera on paper, 33 3/4 × 27 3/8 × 3/16 in. (85.7 × 69.5 × 0.5 cm). Collection of Raymond Foye

  • Two rows of four rectangular sections, each featuring a circle that takes up the width of the rectangle. The circles each have a distinct pattern of grids and smaller circles within and around them. The 8 sections are distinguished by color.
    Two rows of four rectangular sections, each featuring a circle that takes up the width of the rectangle. The circles each have a distinct pattern of grids and smaller circles within and around them. The 8 sections are distinguished by color.

    Harry Smith, Abstract film studies (two slides projected alternately), 1951. Film stills (lightbox), 21 7/8 × 33 1/2 (55.6 × 85.1 cm). Estate of Jordan Belson

  • A still of a film, it is red with speckled darker red and a white square in the middle.
    A still of a film, it is red with speckled darker red and a white square in the middle.

    Harry Smith, still from Film No. 1: A Strange Dream, c. 1946–48. 16mm film, color, silent; 3 min. Courtesy of Anthology Film Archives, New York. © Anthology Film Archives

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