Raw color

by David Breslin

This book addresses the relationships between landscape, industry, and the works David Smith (1906-1965) realized between 1961 and 1963. The Circle series was his most ambitious attempt to pair painting and sculpture. Painted in unnatural colours but constructed to stand in concert with the dramatic Adirondack landscape in which he lived, Smith's sculptures confront viewers with a conflict. How are we to be modern, responsive to the materials and the technologies of our time, and yet also remain conscious of our respective locales and nature? To demonstrate the importance of place in...