Circle I 1962

David Smith made this sculpture "Circle I" out of painted steel. It is industrial, and geometric, but like, what does it mean? I can imagine Smith in his studio, piecing together these forms, a kind of playful dance with heavy materials. The orange circle feels so warm, in contrast to the cool grays and blacks, doesn’t it? And that diagonal slash, cutting through the circle, gives the whole thing a sense of movement. Smith was always pushing the boundaries of sculpture, bringing painting into three dimensions. It's funny though, isn't it? The whole tradition of painting and sculpture is based on a kind of lie - like, the canvas makes an "illusionistic space" or the sculpture stands in for a "real" person - but Smith seems to just be making the thing itself, no lie, no stand-in. He’s in conversation with other artists, like Picasso and Gorky, but forging his own path. And it reminds me that we’re all just trying to figure things out, one piece at a time.