A very smart school

“Cahill Expressway”

Geoffrey Smart, 1962, Art Gallery of NSW

For those that don’t know, I am an Unley High boy. In fact both my parents went to Unley high, but didn’t meet until later when they both joined the Millswood Grass court Tennis Club. In my parent’s era Unley High was segregated, boys and girls separated by a wire mesh fence. Unley has had a number of notable graduates, apart from my family. There have been several Premiers, a Prime Minister, Australians of the year (Australian of the years?), premiership AFL footballers, Governors, authors and poets. There have also been artists. Arguably the greatest was Geoffrey Smart who graduated in 1921. Smart produced distinct works, with an unmistakable post modern style.. They are highly compositional, employing architecture, geometry, colour and urban themes. Nearly all have human figures, usually bathed in a sense of alienation. Smart’s images touch the edge of the surreal. Personally, I find a strong sense of sadness in them, but yet they remain incredibly compelling and hard to turn away from. #theblueofoxfordandtheblueofcambridge