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Lot Essay
"I belong with painters, in a sense; and all my early friends were painters because we all studied together. And I never conceived of myself as anything other than a painter because my work came right through the raised surface and color and objects applied to the surface. Some of the greatest contributions to sculpture of the 20th century are by painters. Had it not been for painters, sculpture would be in a very sorry position. Some of the greatest departures in the concept of sculpture have been made by Picasso and Matisse. Painting and sculpture aren't very far apart" (D. Smith quoted in David Smith by David Smith: Sculpture and Writings, London, 1968, p. 106).
David Smith left behind an important, if somewhat less-known, body of paintings and works on paper. Smith worked two-dimensionally throughout his career, creating studies of the nude, abstract works, works that were studies for, or related to, sculpture, as well as works created with spray paint. Edgecomb Pond is from the latter category, in which the Smith artfully laid down metal parts and spray painted over them. A straightforward but provocative manner of working, the result was a brilliant synthesis of sculpture in painting, whereby three-dimensional forms helped determine their ultimate life as a two-dimensional composition.
Smith's paintings are some of his purest expressions. Smith was quick to admit that sculpture was a difficult medium through which to pursue his Abstract Expressionist goals. The laborious process of assembling metal parts through welding and casting could easily squash the spontaneity and dynamism Smith sought. Drawing and painting, however, were the forms with which Smith could immediately put forth his ideas. He said, "the sculptor...works in media slow to take realization. And when the original creative impetus must be maintained during labor, drawing is the fast-moving search, which keeps physical labor in balance" (D. Smith quoted in G. McCoy, David Smith, New York, 1973, p. 137).
Edgecomb Pond is among the artist's best and most ambitious paintings. Its sheer scale alone dwarfs most of his efforts in painting and canvas. Smith was a sophisticated colorist and this painting is a tour-de-force of crystalline color, which interacts brilliantly with the negative space of the support. Spatially, the painting is complex and can be read in a number of ways. Firstly, it reads as a hieratic composition with the stacked forms creating a monolith. However, the use of bands of color creates a sense of depth, and one that seems to reference Smith's photographs of bird's eye views of his sculptures at Bolton Landing.
As one of the few artists who could successfully translate the painterly tenets of Abstract Expressionist into sculptural form, it is no surprise that his paintings were equally unique in their conception and execution. He did not rely on "action" painting like his peers Jackson Pollock and Franz Kline, but instead created dynamic and spontaneous compositions on par with the best Abstract Expressionist canvases using metal parts and studio detritus as stencils. Smith utilized his all encompassing perspective to create works of enormous emotional resonance.
"Art has its traditions, but it is a visual heritage. The artist's language is the memory from sight. Art is made from dreams, and visions, and things not known, and least of all from things that can be said. It comes from the inside of who you are when you face yourself. It is an inner declaration of purpose, it is a factor which determines artist identity" (D. Smith quoted in Ibid., p. 147).
David Smith left behind an important, if somewhat less-known, body of paintings and works on paper. Smith worked two-dimensionally throughout his career, creating studies of the nude, abstract works, works that were studies for, or related to, sculpture, as well as works created with spray paint. Edgecomb Pond is from the latter category, in which the Smith artfully laid down metal parts and spray painted over them. A straightforward but provocative manner of working, the result was a brilliant synthesis of sculpture in painting, whereby three-dimensional forms helped determine their ultimate life as a two-dimensional composition.
Smith's paintings are some of his purest expressions. Smith was quick to admit that sculpture was a difficult medium through which to pursue his Abstract Expressionist goals. The laborious process of assembling metal parts through welding and casting could easily squash the spontaneity and dynamism Smith sought. Drawing and painting, however, were the forms with which Smith could immediately put forth his ideas. He said, "the sculptor...works in media slow to take realization. And when the original creative impetus must be maintained during labor, drawing is the fast-moving search, which keeps physical labor in balance" (D. Smith quoted in G. McCoy, David Smith, New York, 1973, p. 137).
Edgecomb Pond is among the artist's best and most ambitious paintings. Its sheer scale alone dwarfs most of his efforts in painting and canvas. Smith was a sophisticated colorist and this painting is a tour-de-force of crystalline color, which interacts brilliantly with the negative space of the support. Spatially, the painting is complex and can be read in a number of ways. Firstly, it reads as a hieratic composition with the stacked forms creating a monolith. However, the use of bands of color creates a sense of depth, and one that seems to reference Smith's photographs of bird's eye views of his sculptures at Bolton Landing.
As one of the few artists who could successfully translate the painterly tenets of Abstract Expressionist into sculptural form, it is no surprise that his paintings were equally unique in their conception and execution. He did not rely on "action" painting like his peers Jackson Pollock and Franz Kline, but instead created dynamic and spontaneous compositions on par with the best Abstract Expressionist canvases using metal parts and studio detritus as stencils. Smith utilized his all encompassing perspective to create works of enormous emotional resonance.
"Art has its traditions, but it is a visual heritage. The artist's language is the memory from sight. Art is made from dreams, and visions, and things not known, and least of all from things that can be said. It comes from the inside of who you are when you face yourself. It is an inner declaration of purpose, it is a factor which determines artist identity" (D. Smith quoted in Ibid., p. 147).