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Hollis Taggart
David Smith
Menand III
25 3/4 x 16 x 25 1/2 in. (65.4 x 40.6 x 64.8 cm)
description
In 1943 Clement Greenberg, the central critic behind Abstract Expressionism, wrote that David Smith was not only one of the best American sculptors but also that he had the potential to become the greatest. By rejecting the traditional methods of carving and casting in favor of welding, Smith became the first artist known to make welded sculpture in America. Smith’s sculpture, described by Greenberg as “aerial drawing in metal,” majorly informed the history of American sculpture and exerted significant influence on generations of sculptors after him.
Menand III is part of eight works comprising the Menand series, all created in 1963 and named for a town near Albany where Smith purchased his steel. The Menand works are experiments in compositional ideas, some of which reappeared later in monumental form. Treated with lacquer and acid, Menand III possesses a patina similar to that of antique bronze. Its totemic composition employs a reductive and geometric aesthetic that presages the minimalism movement that would soon follow. One can also see in Menand III the profound influence of modernist Cubist collage on Smith; like paper collage which is constituted by juxtaposed elements, Menand III assembles and fuses elements from various perspectives and angles.
As the poet Frank O’Hara wrote in 1964, soon after Menand III was created, “David Smith’s sculptures are—big or small, figurative or abstract—very complete, very attentive to your presence. They’re generous; they have no boring views. Circle them as you may, they are never napping. They present a total attention, and they are telling you that that is the way to be: on guard.” The last five years of Smith’s life, during which Menand III was completed, was his most experimental and prolific period. During this time he created nearly one third of his entire sculpture oeuvre.
Smith’s works are included in many major collections worldwide, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, Museum of Modern Art Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, National Gallery of Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and more. The Storm King Art Center holds 13 of his sculptures.
Menand III is part of eight works comprising the Menand series, all created in 1963 and named for a town near Albany where Smith purchased his steel. The Menand works are experiments in compositional ideas, some of which reappeared later in monumental form. Treated with lacquer and acid, Menand III possesses a patina similar to that of antique bronze. Its totemic composition employs a reductive and geometric aesthetic that presages the minimalism movement that would soon follow. One can also see in Menand III the profound influence of modernist Cubist collage on Smith; like paper collage which is constituted by juxtaposed elements, Menand III assembles and fuses elements from various perspectives and angles.
As the poet Frank O’Hara wrote in 1964, soon after Menand III was created, “David Smith’s sculptures are—big or small, figurative or abstract—very complete, very attentive to your presence. They’re generous; they have no boring views. Circle them as you may, they are never napping. They present a total attention, and they are telling you that that is the way to be: on guard.” The last five years of Smith’s life, during which Menand III was completed, was his most experimental and prolific period. During this time he created nearly one third of his entire sculpture oeuvre.
Smith’s works are included in many major collections worldwide, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, Museum of Modern Art Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, National Gallery of Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and more. The Storm King Art Center holds 13 of his sculptures.
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