David Smith, Hudson River Landscape, 1951. Welded steel,
49 1/2 x 75 x 16 3/4 inches.
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, Purchase.
Thought this was worth a quick mention. This show being done when the man should have turned a 100 years old.
The work was generally smaller than I expected, but this realization really did only dawn on me halfway through the show, given that the sculpture works so well in the space. The galleries really show the work off well and allow you to see it on a very uncompromising scale. The building – subtle and powerful at the same time, much like the work of David Smith. The surprise was some of the drawing which became more and more abstract as time went by (what was edited out in between I don’t know but something is missing). Well worth a visit. Nothing wrong with a history lesson now and then. You might learn something.
