XI Books III Apples is constructed largely of pre-cut stainless steel pieces that Smith ordered from a Ryerson Steel mail-order catalogue then welded together. Its surface is etched into with a circular sander, which creates a brushstrokes effect—a series of arcs reflecting light to form a visual “painting” without applied color. Smith anticipated that the piece, when set outdoors, would reflect the world around it and change with the light and seasons.

In 1960, Smith noted that he preferred all of his stainless steel pieces to be viewed outdoors: “They are conceived for bright light, preferably the sun, to develop the illusion of surface and depth…. Stainless steel seems dead without light.” Smith also recognized the extraordinary physical challenge of working with steel, whose “physical laws … do not permit the flow of realization as easily as most painting materials.” Sculpture, he observed, “demand[s] more premeditation and conviction, [more] assurance … than when the same form is indicated by paint or line on the plane surface.”