Class of Winter 1923
Jack Wilkinson Smith
b. Paterson, New Jersey, 1873
d. Monterey Park, California, 1949
Lingering Snows, 1922
Oil on canvas
32 x 42 inches
When the GHS students visited Jack Wilkinson’s Smith’s studio in 1922, they were determined to own Lingering Snows, the unfinished painting on his easel. They went into a huddle and before the astonished teacher could stop him, the class president walked up to Smith and said, “We have two hundred dollars; will you take it?” Smith grinned and said, “Yes,” and that was the end of the discussion. Lingering Snows’ dynamic composition shows a running brook zigzagging between two stands of trees, surrounded by snow melting under a bright spring sky. With the clouds drifting overhead and the deep green stream flowing through the landscape, Smith creates a memorable interpretation of nature’s serenity and vitality in the High Sierra.
GIFTED: Collecting the Art of California at Gardena High School, 1919-1956 is organized by the GHS Art Collection, Inc, in association with the Gardena High School Student Body and curated by Susan M. Anderson.
