Roland David Smith (1906 – 1965) was an influential and innovative American abstract expressionist sculptor and painter, widely known for creating large steel abstract geometric sculptures. In the late 1920s Smith traveled to Bolton Landing, on Lake George in Warren County, NY. Inspired by this initial visit, he purchased 86 acres of land on what used to be a fox farm.
Smith built a home and art studios and moved there permanently in 1940. His studio spaces consisted of a metal shop and drawing studio in addition to the expansive outdoors where he would often work, placing his sculptures in the surrounding fields.
His relationship to the landscape in Bolton profoundly influenced Smith’s art-making practices and his home became the birthplace of many of Smith’s best-known works.
At the The National Arts Club in Manhattan, conservator Mark Roussel will examine the transformative impact of advancements in metalworking on sculpture techniques by providing an analysis of how David Smith combined steel and welding, traditionally considered manufacturing technologies, with the principles of Cubism to forge a distinctive American sculptural idiom.
This free event will be held in-person on Friday, March 14, from 7 until 8 pm EDT. The National Arts Club is located at 15 Gramercy Park South.
You can register for the event here.
Source link
