Read More (y1969-104)

In reply to an inquiry about the relevance of subject matter in his work and the significance of the title Moses, Smith wrote, “My sculptures are always conceived and developed as abstract geometric structures. . . . They were given titles only after a maquette (at least) had been made. In some cases the work had already been put together as a full-scale mock-up or fabricated in steel before its image became clear and it was named. Occasionally titles . . . came to me all at once. Moses is an instance of the latter. The parallel uprights suggested the horns in Michelangelo’s Moses. We know that these strange attributes were the result of a misunderstanding by the Latin Vulgate of the Hebrew word ‘shone,’ derived from the word meaning ‘horn,’ and used figuratively to denote rays or flashes of light proceeding from a luminous object, for example, the head of Moses. . . . Mistranslation resulted in Michelangelo’s peculiar presentation of a horned Moses. My sculpture, without previous intent, perpetuates this curiosity.”