The Fields of David Smith

by Candida Smith

After David Smith's untimely death in 1965, row upon row of extraordinary abstract sculptures were discovered in the grassy fields that surround the artist's home and studio at Bolton Landing in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. Fittingly, many of these works were subsequently acquired by Storm King Art Center, the world's quintessential sculpture park, which is set on 500 acres of rolling lawns, fields, and woodlands and surrounded by the undulating profiles of the Hudson Highlands. Smith's sculpture fields there provide the inspiration for this book, published to coincide with a three-year exhibition (1997 to 1999) of the works at Storm King. The human form in landscape, or "the artist in the world," is a consistent visual theme for this grouping of Smith's monumental planar and volumetric assemblages of geometric shapes and seamlessly transformed found objects. In Portrait of a Painter (1954), for instance, Smith created a figural silhouette in which flat bronze rectangles form a spinal column and pelvis, crescent-shaped arches delineate the curves of a body, and an actual cast palette serves as a head. This large, colorful book is chock-a-block with images and information, collaged in the lyrical spirit of David Smith's diverse works. In her introductory essay, daughter Candida N. Smith recalls a magical childhood in the creative oasis of what the artist called his "sculpture farm," and writes eloquently of his art as an extension of his identity. A memoir by prominent art critic and historian Irving Sandler describes Smith's circle (which included Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and Franz Kline), his deeply modernist roots, and his interest in cubism, constructivism, and surrealism. Throughout the book are quotes by many of Smith's artist friends, including Helen Frankenthaler ("A ribald and beautiful human being, with a roar of laughter"); Kenneth Noland ("When he did something, he did it absolutely. He meant for it to stand up to nature, aesthetics, anything"); Anthony Caro ("He made his life around sculpture and I think he taught me that"); and Mark di Suvero, ("[He] had the animal energy of an industrial worker, the capacity, the craftsmanship and the will of an original artist, and he drank his booze ... in a way that made me shudder.... He was a master"). --A.C. Smith

Genres: Art

Paperback

First published May 1, 1999

Reviews

[Dani Shuping · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I buy art books the written content is secondary to the photographs of the artwork that are in the book. For me, I have to have clear pictures that accurately capture details and colors of the work. And this book definitely meets that standard for me. The images are sharp and crystal clear, accurately capturing David's sculptures from the tiniest welds to the full piece in all of its beauty. The essays are also fantastic, especially since they have one from David's daughter. I highly recommend this book if you're an art fan. It does justice to David Smith's works and is a fantastic addition to any collection.