Artist's Trap- Anthony Peter Smith

Artist’s Trap Beccak HT Guo Artist’s Trap The name Anthony Peter Smith rings a bell in the minds of art enthusiasts and anyone who has spent time perusing the history of art. There have been several periods or eras in the field of art including expressionism and minimalism. Each of these areas has people who pioneered and used their work to advance the ideas behind them. Minimalism as an era in art came into the spotlight in the past few decades. However, it is quite relatable to life, and modern living and its features or attributes can be seen depicted in modern day living and objects. Anthony Peter Smith is among the chief pioneers of minimalist art. His unique sculptures and pieces of art have greatly contributed to the field of minimalism and abstract expressionism. [1] It is for this reason that he is considered by many as the father of modern minimalism. In line with this, understanding the roots of minimalism would mean understanding the very life of the man who helped establish the field in the contemporary practice of art. This article thus seeks to dig deeper into Tony Smith’s works. It posits that understanding Tony Smith’s work by analyzing his pieces of art, historical contexts, and doing a comparison of Smith’s and Antony Gormley (a minimalist as well) will help in the comprehension of internal and external factors that contributed to Smith’s interest in the field. Before delving into the depths of Smith’s work, it is first crucial to describe what minimalism stands for. In her article, Inan notes that the word “minimalism which is derived from the word minimum in French means the least or the smallest amount needed for something.” [2] From an artistic standpoint, Colpitt defines minimalism as “an artistic tendency whose ‘organizing principles’ were ‘the right angle, the square, and the cube…rendered with a minimum of the incident or compositional manoeuvring.’” [3] The above definitions or descriptions may not seem similar, but they do help enhance the understanding of what minimalism stands for. Minimalism art mainly involves art that makes use of geometric shapes while encompassing simplistic arrangements. Styles Used and Works Created As the father of minimalism, one thing that stood out for Tony Smith was the differences in his sculptures and paintings. Looking at his paintings, one notices that they were rounded in nature something which is in stark contrast to his sculptures which appear angled. The tempera on paper which Smith painted in 1948 is a good example of how rounded his paintings were. However, the difference in the two is as a result of a shift in the tradition that Smith subscribed to which also signifies an important part of his life. Before he started working with sculptures, Smith “worked with architect Frank Lloyd Wright in Chicago.” [4] Besides, his work does not completely conform to the general expectation of minimalist art. The Black Box will be used to expound this. It has been termed to be bigger than most of the other Minimalistic sculptures developed. Its dimensions were determined by the size of an outstretched human body. Therefore, it represented neither a monument nor an object. The sculpture diverts from complex abstract representation and figuration and stands instead to the primary parameters and conditions of creative expression. On one hand, his paintings mimic the European Concrete Art while on the other hand, his sculptures take a unique turn. For instance, Stamos House, created in 1951 was influenced by the works of Frank Lloyd Wright and Mies van der Rohe. This work features the various elements that are popularly associated with Tony Smith. It is basically a rectangle on stilts. The angled trusses and pitched roof give a hexagonal faзade. The geometrical shape of the house is enhanced by the main body of the building which is lifted off the ground to give an illusion of a floating house. On the contrary, it resembles a hexagonal model. However, unlike his previous works, the project did not follow the repeated cell structure. Tony Smith did not only conform to the minimalist style. Elements of other styles are visible in his works. The Stamos House described above was particularly built for the Theodoras Stamos, an Abstract Expressionist. Louisenberg, which was greatly inspired by his stay in Germany has heavy features of the North American Abstract Expressionism. On various occasions, the artist also completely diverted from traditional Western sculpture and architecture. For instance, Smoke created in 1967 is devoid of curves, arches, and elements that stand perpendicular to the ground. [6] Influences It is crucial to note that Tony Smith’s childhood and accident contributed to his adoption of the minimalist tradition. While growing up, Smith said that the initials to his name, A P and S, “stood for “architect, painter, sculptor.” [8] He thus developed an interest in art from an early age. Later in his life, he was involved in a car accident and “whilst recovering from the accident, he returned to his childhood practice of creating small sculptures from paper and cardboard modules.” [9] Smith thus got inspiration from his interests when he was still a child. This created a marked distinction between his previously modernist approach towards the minimalist approach that he is known for. As a child, Smith was sickly and thus confined. These moments and instances helped to shape his thoughts and ideas in art. As he was again confined after a serious accident, he was able to conjure some inspiration from his own experiences and use it to create a distinct style of his own which l...