Description

Smith composed only seven lithographs in the early 1950s, all printed in small editions, indicating that he made prints simply to experiment with the media rather than for any commercial purpose. The prints are technically unsophisticated, yet their spontaneity and expressiveness makes them appealing. This impression of the first state of Don Quixote (only about 14 impressions were printed) was colored with blue gouache by Smith to accentuate the lively three-dimensional quality of the image. Don Quixote, written by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra in 1605 to satirize contemporary chivalric romances, recounts the adventures of Don Quixote who, inflamed by romantic novels, fantasizes that he is a knight errant but is sadly forced to face reality.