V-X 1967

Kenneth Snelson made this sculpture, V-X, from metal tubes and wires. Look at how those metal tubes balance and intersect, held together by what looks like a delicate web. Each tube seems to lean against the other, finding support, like a dance of physics frozen in time. Snelson has been quoted as comparing this structure to a drawing in space. And thinking about it, the metal could be a thick gestural line made in steel. I can imagine Snelson carefully considering the angles and tensions, how the lines interact with the negative space. Like the artist is in a playful conversation with the material, testing its limits and potentials. It reminds me of some of Anthony Caro’s steel sculptures. Both artists share an interest in revealing the underlying structure and forces that shape our world. Snelson’s sculpture, like a good painting, invites us to see the world in new and unexpected ways, where geometry and poetry meet.