David Gariff on the Sculpture of David Smith, Part 2

David Smith (1906-1965) is arguably America’s greatest sculptor of the 20th century. His art enlarged the vocabulary of sculpture by employing welding and industrial processes and materials, laying the groundwork for the directness of minimalism and the realization that sculpture could be anything the artist desired. Smith’s oeuvre is a logical outgrowth of earlier 20th-century sculptural trends in cubism, constructivism, and surrealism. However, his work also represents a new paradigm for the language of modern sculpture that reflects the dynamic growth and industrial prowess of the United States after the Second World War. Smith’s confrontation with the process of creation broke the rules and expanded the possibilities of his art form.
In part two of this lecture, senior lecturer David Gariff explores Smith’s revolutionary art through a discussion of some of his most important and innovative works, including the Agricola, Tanktotem, Sentinel, Zig, Voltri, and Cubi series.
Learn more about David Smith's and his work in the Gallery’s collection: www.nga.gov/collection/artist...
Still haven’t subscribed to our UA-cam channels? 
National Gallery of Art ►► / nationalgalleryofartus
National Gallery of Art Talks ►► / nationalgalleryofarttalks
    
ABOUT THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART   
The National Gallery of Art serves the nation by welcoming all people to explore and experience art, creativity, and our shared humanity.   
More National Gallery of Art Content:
Facebook: / nationalgalleryofart
Twitter: / ngadc
Instagram: / ngadc
Pinterest: / _created
E-News: nga.us4.list-manage.com/subsc...
#Art #NationalGalleryOfArt #Museum #DavidSmith #Sculpture #Cubism #Constructivism #Surrealism #Agricola #Tanktotem #Sentinel #Zig #Voltri #CubiSeries

[@ypaulbrown]

this is wonderful, thank you for sharing with us, David Smith is a hero of mine.....Paul in Orlando Florida

[@callmejeffbob]

Great video; this is one of the very best presentations on David Smith I've seen (and I've seen quite a few). I will come back and watch Part 1 at some point.
When I was a kid, my best friend's father was a good friend of David Smith. As a young teenager I was fortunate enough to go with my friend to visit David Smith's farmhouse/studio in Bolton Landing, in upstate New York. David Smith had passed away a few years before in an automobile crash, but I think his widow still lived there and there were still dozens of his amazing sculptures spread out on the undulating fields of the property. I feel very lucky to have a pretty vivid memory of that day!
By the way, I had never heard that story about Clement Greenberg stripping the white paint off of a Smith sculpture...Yikes! Whether or not the white paint was a primer coat or the intended final color is somewhat irrelevant, because it was clearly not intended to be unpainted.