Sentinel I 1956

David Smith made this Sentinel I sculpture out of welded steel. It's like a sketch in space, isn’t it? You can almost feel Smith figuring it out as he goes, the way the lines of steel reach and balance, like a drawing that's come to life. It's fascinating how the texture becomes the drawing – the rough edges, the places where the metal has been worked and joined, they all contribute to this raw, honest feeling. Look at the base of the sculpture, where the wheel is attached to the base. There's something about how it's been welded there, rough and ready, that brings a sense of honesty and effort to the piece. Thinking about other artists who might have been an influence, I can’t help but think of Picasso, with his playful way of breaking down forms and reassembling them. But where Picasso used paint, Smith used steel, turning sculpture into a kind of three-dimensional collage. It all comes from somewhere and gets turned into something new, right?