David Smith Cubi Series XXVii

https://i0.wp.com/www.guggenheim.org/wp-content/uploads/1965/01/67.1862_ph_web-1.jpg?w=870

Louis Natalini

David Smith was famous for his welding sculptures. He was influenced by surrealism and constructivism. This work is called Cubi XXVii it was 27 out of 28 works in the Cubi series. This is one of Smith’s last works. The works mainly included cylinders and cubes as this one is. The medium is stainless steel. He polished the steel until it was a highly reflective surface. It was one of three in the Cubi series often referred to as “The Gates”. Smith referred to them as “arches” This is because of the almost doorlike frame with the empty center. The two portions that stand out are the cylinder seeming to barely balance the upper elongated cube. The other portion was the two smaller diagonal facing cubes using each other for balance while also acting as a base for the two cubes above them. Its dimensions are 111 3/8 x 87 3/4 x 34 inches.

David smith cubi VI

David smith cubi VI was created in 1963 two years before his death. It resembles  human form especially with the two crossed legs at the bottom. His works is centered around an abstract theme hence cubi VI depiction of a human.

David Smith - Cubi III

David Smith's Cubi series featured a collection of 28 stainless steel sculptures that undoubtedly embodied his abstract expressionist style. The piece above, titled Cubi III, was the third sculpture of the series; it essentially is six different stainless steel cubes affixed to a platform. It stands at almost 8 feet tall and at first glance to some might just look like a stack of boxes. Upon further investigation, I realized that the figure resembles a tall, strong figure. This is similar to other works in the Cubi series in the sense that Smith used his artistic talents to assemble bulky pieces of metal to vaguely resemble human figures. I find it intriguing how one can manage to make such rigid shapes even remotely relatable to something as complex to depict as a human figure, and Smith does just that with this series of works.

David Smith Cubi XIX

David Smith was an American abstract expressionist sculptor. He was mostly known for his sculptures that were made of geometric shapes. His most famous series was his Cubi Series which were all composed of 28 sculptures made of simple geometric shapes. This was his last series made before his death in 1965. This particular sculpture "Cubi XIX" was made in 1964. I chose this one because I like how the shapes look like they are just balanced on top of one another. The big structure is being held up by one single rectangle which looks off proportion.

Cubi VI

David Smith completed this sculpture in 1963. It is made out of stainless steal and located in Jerusalem. It is part of an entire series of stainless steal sculptures, all competed sometime between 1961-1965. The entire series is called the Cubi Series and can be found in places like New York, London, and Chicago.

David Smith - Tankotem I

      This sculpture designed and assembled by David Smith, was built in the year of 1952 following his famous cubist model(s).  His pictured work was crafted from steel, which was the typical metal used for sculpture art around this time because of it's symbolic nature of progress, movement and power. Smith utilized several pieces of discarded scraps and industrial pieces to form his works of abstract art. The "Tanktotem" series were formed of boiler parts and cylindrical gas tanks that he welded together for the mind to question and admire. It is said this piece is supposed to reflect human figure.

Agricola IV by David Smith

David Smith created the Agricola IV in 1952. The piece itself is made of cast iron and stainless steel as the date 1952 is welded on a plate at the base. We see an impression of a running figure; said to be frozen in time.  It almost appears as if he is running on what could be considered part of a clock, as there is an illusion of roman numerals. This may not have been the original intention when Smith created this piece, but a man running out of time is tragedically poetic. Smith and his wife Dorothy Dehner ended their marriage the same year and the emotion that could come from a divorce could possibly have inspired a sculpture as such.  

David Smith- Cubi X

David Smith Cubi X is a very interesting sculpture because of the way it portrays the human body. It was made in 1963 in stainless steel. I find this sculpture captivating because you can almost make out the head, body, legs, and arms even though it is only stainless steel cubes. Smith made a series of twenty eight sculptures, and named them "Cubi". This is Cubi X, which means its the 5th sculpture of the twenty eight others.

David Smith

This sculpture is known as Cubi XVII. It was created by David Smith, who was an American abstract expressionist sculpture and painter. Smith made a lot of similar sculptures that were in the same category as this one. This sculpture was made in 1963 out of polished stainless steel.  I find it remarkable that he was able to sculpt this work of art out of stainless steel. I could not imagine how hard that would be, especially since I have never even used steel to make art before. I chose this sculpture out of his Cubi Series because of how he placed the objects. I love how it looks like they fit just right to make all the pieces look balanced. Furthermore, it reminds me of times when you are trying to hold it all together, but if one more problem arises you will fall apart. 

David Smith

This piece of artwork by David Smith is called "Cubi XXVIII." Smith created this sculpture in 1965. Stainless steel was used to make this art piece. It was also his last cubi that was completed before his death in 1965. I like this of artwork because of how different it is from his piece of works. I also the shapes that he used.

David Smith: Cubi XIII

This work by David Smith, “Cubi XIII” is located at Princeton University. This sculpture is part of Smith’s final and most famous series. I like how the sculpture is made out of stainless steel because it reflects the changing colors around it and its surrounding. I found this to be a unique shape with multiple dimensions. I like how the sculpture incorporates geometric shapes which shows a interesting scale of balance.

David Smith Cubi XXIII

I chose this sculpture because of its minimalism. Many of his sculptures seem to use little matterial, but he is able to create so much from so little. His Subi collection is a foundation of stainless steel cubes, rectables, and cylinders; all organic shapes. The sculpture appears as a scenic view of mountains. The texture Smith added, adds elements to his "mountains",  and gives it a gloomy look. As if the design/light is reflecting onto the scene.

David Smith- Cubi XXVI

I chose this sculpture because it was one of the more unique sculptures in the Cubi series, in my opinion. The Cubi series is a bunch of stainless steel sculptures made from cubes, spheres and rectangular solids. The Cubi sculptures are an example of modernism in sculpture. These works were abstract while also resembling figures. This was one of the last works composed by David Smith.   Cubi XXVI on January 12, 1965. An interesting fact about Cubi XXVI is that it was once on loan to the White House. It is currently on display at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden in Washington DC.

David Smith Cubi XXIII

David Smith made the Cubi XXIII in 1964. This was different than his other pieces from his cubi series. Most of his pieces were actual cubes or looked somewhat like cubes. This piece consists of two triangles and one cylinder. So it is odd that it is part of his cubi series. He made this structure with stainless steel and welded these pieces together. He really did focus his artwork in this piece on the negative space. There are several shapes in the negative space between the structures showing rectangles and more triangles. This piece is now in Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

David Smith -- Cubi VI

David Smith began his studies in the late 1920s at the Art Students League. From 1935 he concentrated on sculpture, although he constantly tried to merge painting and sculpture to create a new art form. His "Cubi" series began in 1961 which were all abstract pieces made in stainless steel. I found Cubi VI interesting because it clearly be seen as a human figure but in an abstract way. The two rectangles at the bottom can be perceived as crossed legs, the diamond as a waist, the square as a chest which is connected to the rectangle on the left which is to be perceived as an arm stretching straight up and the higher rectangle as the head. Also, the diamond which connects the upper and lower part of the sculpture makes it seem weightless.

David Smith

This Sculpture by David Smith is the Hudson River Landscape made in 1951.  It offers an abstract of the area around Smith's Bolton Landing home.  This sculpture relates to a number of his works he has produced with pastoral themes. This is an inspiration of a landscape, not a figure. It is one of the monumental figure being one of the oldest and traditional form of sculpture.  This is considered one of Smith's first mature work. Smith made this while traveling by railroad between Albany and Poughkeepsie. I chose this sculpture because it was very unique in the way it describes the Hudson River. I think it is a different way in looking at the river in a cool way.

David Smith

David Smith produced metal sculptures that reminisced the styles of cubism and abstract expressionism painting. Smith would use large pieces of metal than weld them together forming magnificent sculptures. He intended that the sculptures would be polished and than he would burn some sort of pattern o using materials such as steel wool. When the light would hit the sculpture from every angle patterns would appear that resembled paintings from Pablo Picasso. I particularly like this one because of the way the light is reflecting off of each figure in a different form yet you can still see the patterns in all geometric shapes.

David Smith

David Smith began a series of landscape sculptures in 1946. This piece is called Hudson River Landscape which was made in 1951. It is made out of steel. This sculpture was known as Smith's first mature artwork and he came up with this creation due to traveling by railroad between Albany and Poughkeepsie. I like this sculpture because when I step outside on campus I see the Hudson River. This piece of artwork is also very unique and I like how he incorporated many shapes. 

David Smith Cubi Series Blog for Thursday

David Smith
American Sculptor

Auguste Rodin- The Head of Pierre De Wissant

Auguste Rodin was apart of sculpting a group known as "the burgers of Calais" from 1884-1895. This is 'The Head of Pierre De Wissant', that Auguste made in order to show the emotion of English citizens who offered their lives to help save the country. Auguste used 7 men, one of them was Pierre De Wissant. He wanted to show Pierre's raw emotion during this scary and dangerous time.

Auguste Rodin- The Thinker

The Thinker is a sculpture by Auguste Rodin, usually placed on a stone pedestal. The work shows a nude male figure of over life-size sitting on a rock with his chin resting on one hand as though deep in thought, often used as an image to represent philosophy. The Thinker was initially named The Poet, and was part of a large commission begun in 1880 for a doorway surround called The Gates of Hell

The Gates of Hell

The Gates of Hell is the defining sculpture of Rodin's life.  The massive sculpture is 6 meters high 4 meters wide and has a depth of 1 meter. Rodin received a commision to make bronze doors for an art museum on August 16, 1880.  The museum was never built, but Rodin spent 37 years continuously altering the individual pieces located on the doors. Many of his most famous sculptures including The Thinker and The Kiss were originally small parts of the door that he then made full sized sculptures out of.  Rodin drew inspiration from Dante's vision of what hell would be like in The Divine Comedy. The figures on the doors are free floating in the scene with Rodin trying to show how the only thing binding them together is the displays of agony. I found this piece interesting because of its size and the amount of attention to detail.

Auguste Rodin- The Gates of Hell

This piece by Auguste Rodin is titled The Gates of Hell. The Gates of Hell were commissioned on August 16th, 1880 by a new art museum in Paris that wanted a pair of bronze doors. This sculpture is cast in bronze, however the bronze casting did not take place until after Rodin had already passed away. Rodin's inspiration came from Inferno, the first part of Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy. One thing I really like about this sculpture is the relief. I love the way the figures are 3-D and look like they're popping out of the piece. This sculpture features more than 200 figures on the door and the project took Rodin 37 years to finish.

Auguste Rodin- Hand of God

             The hand of God was made between the years 1896-1902. I chose this piece because it's a very powerful sculpture. The big hand is God's hand, because he creates everything. The hand is holding something that looks like a rock. The rock is similar to the shape of an anatomically correct heart. Then on the other side are two people intertwined in the rock. Those two people represent Adam and Eve. The way that I interpreted it, the man and woman are intertwined into the heart shaped rock because they are in love. God is holding them because God creates everything. He created Adam, Eve, as well as the feeling of love.

Man with the Broken Nose: Auguste Rodin

The Man with the Broken Nose was constructed by Auguste Rodin between 1863 and 1864. This sculpture is considered by Rodin the first to represent life, as it tested the preferred aesthetic of the time. A broken nose, with strong facial features, was considered unappealing and generally, most people rejected the piece. What these people failed to see was the beauty it holds. It represents individuality, bringing in this sense of unified life. As humans, we all have unique features making us who we are; just as the Man with the Broken Nose. 

Auguste Rodin: Balzac in the Robe of a Dominican Monk

This is the bronze sculpture of, “Balzac in the Robe of a Dominican Monk.” This was made in preparation for a monument to Balzac and was commissioned by the Society of Men of Letters of France in 1891. I like how much detail there is even in the robe of Balzac. I found it interesting that this sculpture was done after Balzac had already died so it was challenging for Auguste Rodin to portray all of the detail. As I researched this sculpture Rodin aimed to represent Balzac’s persona rather than his physical attributes. He had put in a lot of research of his life and times of his subject.

Rodin- Two Hands

I chose Auguste Rodins sculpture, Two Hands, because of it's obscurity that stood out to me, verses some of his other figure sculptures. Looking at this piece, it appears that the hand on the left is a females hand being held by other hand, which appears more masculine because of its structure. With the base of this sculpture being an irregular shaped base, may represent the story behind the two hands and the relationship. After researching the sculpture more, it turns out that the hand on the left is Rodins and the hand on the right is Rose Beuret.

"The Kiss" - Auguste Rodin

    "The Kiss" was sculpted by the well known Auguste Rodin around the year of 1882. This delicate and smooth looking sculpture is crafted from marble, and depicts a nude couple embracing in a romantic and intimate moment. It is said that the couple are representative of two characters  known as Paolo and Francesca from Dante Alighieri's (most commonly known as 'Dante' who was a popular Italian poet/author in the early 1300's) tragic love story "Divine comedy." In this story, Francesca's husband walks in on "the kiss" between her and another man who she fell involve with..(Paolo, who happens to be her husband's younger brother.) Because they were both caught in the act, the husband kills both his wife and brother, and they both were "condemned to walk eternally through hell" (for the sin they committed I assume.)
  I personally admired this piece for the fluidity of their positioning; the way their arms are wrapped around  supporting each other. I believe there is just so much passion felt through this dazzling sculpture.

Auguste Rodin - The Thinker

The thinker, is a bronze sculpture made by Auguste Rodin. The thinker was created in 1902. Rodin first conceived the sculpture "the Gates of Hell" which was commissioned in 1880. It is located in the Rodin Museum. The sculpture shows a nude man figure of a life size sitting on a rock with his chin on one hand as if he was thinking or in thought. The thinker has been entitled as the poet. The sculpture represents Dante, who is the author of the Divine Comedy. The sculpture shows Dante observing the circles of hell, while he is meditating about his work. The sculpture represents philosophy.

Auguste Rodin

This sculpture was created by Auguste Rodin in 1882. However, it was not casted in bronze till 1982. This work of art is known as "The Falling Man". Rodin created this figure to go along with another work of his called "The Gates of Hell". Rodin wanted this sculpture to be placed outside the gates of hell to represent a man in physical and psychological pain. I believe Rodin did a great job showing pain in this sculpture by having his back arched inward and having his head tilted back. I picked this sculpture because of the amount of detail. It is amazing how he was able to make the muscle look like its straining to emphasize the amount of pain. This sculpture is located in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  

Auguste Rodin

Auguste Rodin was a French sculptor who was considered the father of modern art. The marble sculpture above is called The Kiss which was made in 1882. This sculpture was actually apart of one of his other creations called The Gates of Hell. This couple was removed and was replaced by another set of lovers. This piece of artwork stuck out to me because it was different from all his other pieces and I believe this was one of his more rebellious pieces of artwork.

Auguste Rodin -- The Cry

This sculpture by Auguste Rodin was first modeled crica 1886 but was not cast to bronze until 1964. It is titled "Le Cri", or "The Cry" and depicts the upper body of a human crying out. I chose this piece of art because of the overwhelming about of emotion that is able to be portrayed by just the person's facial expression. Although this only pictures the top half of a body, it does not take away from the overall expression of pure pain that the sculpture embodies. I find it remarkable how something that stands only 10.25 inches tall can be artistically and skillfully designed to give such a powerful message.

Auguste Rodin- The Athlete

The Athlete is a bronze sculpture made by Auguste Rodin in 1904 and it stands about 12 ft tall. The model for the sculpture was Samuel Stockton White III who was a member of the gymnastics teams at the University of Princeton and the University of Cambridge. He also did a similar one called the American Athlete, neither are considered to be his well-known sculptures. I chose this sculpture because I found it interesting that he had his model pose in this position, considering it's called the athlete, I would've thought he'd want the model and sculpture to be in a more athletic/strong stance.

Auguste Rodin

This piece of artwork is called “The Left Clenched Hand.” In 1885, it was modeled by Auguste Rodin; in addition, it was casted in 1974 by Georges Rudier. Both of these artists are French.  The classification of this sculpture is sculpture-bronze. Rodin believed that hands communicated the human face. The portraits that he made of his hand sculptures represent emotions. This sculpture specifically is modeling the dramatic gesture of the hand that clenches but cannot grasp. The hand is one of Rodin’s most captivating artwork of powerless despair. I like this sculpture because of how realistic it looks and that in a way it tells multiple stories.

Auguste Rodin

Auguste Rodin was a French sculptor who was most active during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Rodin has a huge influence on the modern art era. The Gates of Hell was done in 1899 after working on it for 20 years. It was originally supposed to be a set of doors to a museum, but the museum never became a thing and Rodin never finished the sculpture the way he wanted to. This sculpture has a of intricate details to it and it really shows how long it took for him to make the giant 19' x 13' piece made of bronze and plaster.

The Cathedral

The Cathedral by Rodin displays two right hands that represent two different figures. There is a space that is left between the hands and it is explained how emptiness and air were very important to him. Before being named The Cathedral it was entitled as "The Ark of the Covenant." This was surprising to me because when I first saw it I interpreted it as romantic not religious. I wonder if this is why he admired air and emptiness so much, so that people who view his work can have space to interpret his work in different forms. I also love how even though this is made of hard stone it is still presented so delicately and light.

Syllabus

Syllabus

Mount Saint Mary College

Sculpture  II

Course Number:       ART 3010                                                       Credits:           3

Course Title:              Sculpture II

Professor:                   Gary Jacketti

Office Hours:             Tuesday, Thursday before or after class

e-mail:                        gjac4166@msmc.edu

Class Times:              Tuesday/Thursday 5:15 to 6:40

Course                          Outcomes:     The objective of this course is to continue the development of personal expression through sculpture.  The course will reflect on the influences and conventions of sculpture beginning with the dawn of time through Contemporary Art.  The students will begin to develop personal avenues of expression using various techniques and mediums of sculpture.  The emphasis will be on this personal development and its impact on works in studies as well as finished sculptures.

Grading and Evaluation

Students will need to complete 2 major projects.  They will also present accompanying studies and intellectual research to substantiate these finished sculptures.  Studies from life and personal interests will be a major component of their work, therefore attendance is mandatory.  Five unexcused missed classes will result in the dropping of the letter grade by 1.  I will evaluate the content as follows:

Mid-Term Sculpture 25%

Blog 15%

Sculpture Studies 35%

Final Sculpture 25%

Division of Arts and Letters Grading Policy

Points	Grade Equivalent	Quality Points	Meaning
100-95	A	4.0	Superior
94-90	A-	3.67	Outstanding
89-87	B+	3.33	Excellent
86-83	B	3.0	Very Good
82-80	B-	2.67	Good
79-77	C+	2.33	Above Average
76-73	C	2.0	Average
72-70	C-	1.67	Below Average
69-65	D+	1.33	Poor
64-60	D	1.0	Passing
59-0	F	0.0	Failing

Blog

You will be responsible for a weekly blog post related to your personal avenue of expression.  Historical and contemporary sculptors should be used as influence and inspiration.

Critiques

Your finished major sculptures will be looked at and discussed critically with your peers.  Attendance and participation is mandatory.  This is one of the most important tools artists use to help reflect and improve their work.  I will be available for one private critique for each project to be scheduled during the semester.

Sculpture Studies

These studies or maquettes will consume a great amount of studio time during the semester.   They will be used to improve technique and as a guide through experimentation and exploration.  They should show a cohesive and substantial thought process and become more directly integrated to the 2 major sculpture projects.

Mid Term and Final Sculptures

These sculptures are finished complex and take a great amount of time to develop.  They will be worked on during the semester on a continual basis.  The growth of the individual will be evident in their creative endeavors.  The second part of the semester will develop with the student’s choice of sculptor to research and develop their work in accordance with their chosen artist’s theme.

Week 6 and 7

Group Critiques for midterm maquettes and sculptures                                                                                                                                                

Week 8

Mid Term Critique

Week 13 and 14

Group Critiques for final maquettes and sculptures

Week 15

Final Critique