Model with Flowers

This painting is one of two known works from 1927 by Matthew Smith to depict this model. Despite the sitter’s importance to the composition, their name and identity remains unknown, leaving us with no knowledge of what their life was like. As viewers, we may want to read into who is depicted by how they have been represented, but appearances can be deceiving. The painting is as much a record of Smith’s views, tastes and aesthetic interests as it is a portrait of an unknown individual.