Audio Description (03:04)

Full Audio Transcript (Expand)

Timeless Clock

Standing twenty-six inches wide, twenty inches tall, and 6 inches deep, Timeless Clock is a rough oval of densely welded silver fragments held up by a thick square that is welded to a large rectangular base that is on a rectangular polished dark marble pedestal. It was sculpted by David Smith in 1957. Because this is a sculpture, this description will be written from the perspective of facing one side of the oval and using front and back descriptors though there is no prescribed direction for this sculpture. In the spirit of the piece, clock face hour positions will be used to describe locations of details.

Consisting of long thin sticks or curves with the occasional sharp angle or square, the sculpture mostly stays on one plane with a few protrusions into the third dimension. The perimeter of the oval is for the most part a contiguous outline of overlapping curves with a gap of several inches around four to six o’clock.

Inside the oval, sticks of silver reach from roughly the center in all directions just past the perimeter. At twelve o’clock, a large square piece turned at an angle is held in place just above center by one thick piece below, one thin piece top right, and and a six spoke cluster at eleven o’clock.

At one o’clock is one long thin piece reaching from center to touch the perimeter. At two o’clock, a thick piece touches a right angle that moves up and then right and just past the perimeter. A thin rectangle also extends a couple inches back from the two o’clock piece

At three o’clock is a long solid horizontal piece extending a couple inches past the perimeter with a few short chunky pieces hanging down from the end. A large arc extends a few inches forward from the center to the perimeter alongside this three o’clock piece, creating the largest departure from the oval plane.

At five o’clock, a long bundle of several silver sticks extends down through the gap in the perimeter, resembling an uppercase letter Q.

At six o’clock, a few long pieces, clustered side by side, reach from the center past the bottom just before the perimeter interruption.

At seven o’clock, several sticks held close but not touching by a short perpendicular brace reach out from center.

A few sticks reach out from center just past the perimeter at eight o’clock.

At nine o’clock, a long narrow wedge shaped piece reaches from center past the perimeter where it makes a sharp 100 degree bend down. A small flat square extends back from the center end of this spoke.

At ten o’clock, a long arc curves down from the perimeter and curves back up to touch a spoke that connects to the aforementioned eleven o’clock cluster.

A short stem extends forward from the cluster holding a small thick rectangle with a clipped corner.