Joey Smollen claimed to have signed his paintings “Smollon” to reflect his Irish ancestry; his son said he did it to avoid the tax collector! Smollen was reared in New York City’s mean streets, where a lesson meant a bloodied nose. As a youngster, his mother instilled in him a love of learning. He credited being an avid reader, street smart and a world traveler as the source of his image making. He was a storyteller and, by bearing witness, painting allowed him to “rise above it all” despite a rough upbringing, tough life and living in near poverty during his later years. Smollen said: “I did it my way.... The only difference between Sinatra and me is that Sinatra went to Hollywood, and I went to war.”
Central to Smollen’s crude renditions of past remembrances is his attitude that “I never added anyone up, they add themselves up.” And in his paintings the sums are greater than their parts. Perhaps pathos comes from the way he freezes a moment, with insightful nuance and gestures, making one wonder about the hopeless faces that populate his pedestrian scenes.