Big E 1962

John Chamberlain made this sculpture called “Big E” out of crushed car parts, and the way he squished and welded these bits together is kind of like drawing in three dimensions. The crumpled metal is painted white, yellow and brown. The paint is thick in some spots, thin in others, and the way it’s scraped and scratched gives the sculpture a real sense of movement and energy. The metal sort of curls and twists, catching the light in different ways. Look at the way the crumpled planes intersect! It almost makes me think of the way de Kooning constructed space, you know? I think the conversation between these artists suggests that sculpture can be as fluid and expressive as paint on canvas. It's all about finding new ways to see and reshape the world around us.