The gracious magical choreography of Calder’s mobiles
- Ivan Garcia
- Mar 26, 2021
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 16, 2021
As a curious observer of those tiny details that bring grace to everyday life, I have always been amazed by Alexander Calder “mobiles”, and their capability to engage people of all ages to contemplate the gentle dance of his changing alive kinetic artwork. In this post we will go through of the features that make of Calder’s artwork joyful ingenue, yet sophisticated with a tender exuberance.
"Calder Mobile" by ellenm1 is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
Why his mobiles are mesmerizing?
When you think about “mobiles” everything is abut balancing. This is the main ingredient that allows the pieces to move graciously by capricious breezes or a simple playful nudging of the audience. Then, the magic begins as the piece changes in front of your eyes like a child seeking attention from his/her parents.
“Abstract paintings using air as their canvas.” Marcel Duchamp
Calder’s Art Was Continuously Evolving
After obtaining his title as a Mechanic Engineer, a young Calder who grew up in an arty family, moved to Paris from 1920-30. There, he established close friendships with other artists such as Jean Miro, Piet Mondrian and Marcel Duchamp; who later on they would be known as iconoclasts in the scene of modern art.
Calder loved entertaining his friends in parties, so he created a scaled Circus stage with action figures that perform acts like in a real one. This hobby would later feed his motivations to set art into motion.
"Le Cirque de Calder" Source Youtube
His inventive mind was always keen on creating functional pieces made of reclaimed materials, hence, transcending the boundaries of contemplative traditional art into an engaging immersive experience.
His entire life he was a recycler. He described himself as "a junk man of bits of wire and all the prettiest stuff in the garbage can". This philosophy brought him to extend his work by creating sublime pieces of jewellery and cutlery as part of his continuous experimentation.
After visiting Piet Mondrian's studio, he had an epiphany when he realized the vivid dynamism that the coloured basic shapes of Mondrian's artwork create. This event woke him up to embrace the abstract art. Nevertheless, according to Sandy Rower Head of Calder Foundation NY, Calder believed that art was "too static to reflect our world of movement."
Eventually, was his friend Marcel Duchamp who came out with the name "Mobiles" to refer to Calder's suspended sculptures as these pieces were a tribute to the abstraction and movement.
An Inclusive Artwork for Everybody
The magic of Calder’s art is that everyone gets actively engaged with his sculptures. Even Professor Einstein was completed mesmerized with a Calder’s motorized piece called “A Universe” as part of an exhibition at NY in 1943. After 45 minutes of watching its movement, he said
“I wish I had thought of that.” Albert Einstein
Another funny anecdote is narrated in the essay "Existentialist on Mobilist" by Jean-Paul Sartre in which his own words, he got a little fright when "at Calder's studio a mobile became violently agitated right beside me[...] and swept past my nose” just when he was though he was out of reach.
I love the fact that there is a strong possibility of meeting his mobiles in public ordinary places where you would not expect it. It has already happened to me in Tokyo, Barcelona and Toronto, and every time it happens, I smile with complicity to Calder’s wink.
"Calder's intention was that we have this contact, we have this closeness with his work." Sandy Rower
"Fafnir-Dragon II" Nagoya Japan by Ivan Garcia
Calder always was authentic about his art and for him the key was that the object was made by his own hands. This was a reason to decline lucrative offers of prestigious jewellery brands Cartier and Tiffany’s to create limited editions under the name of the artist. According to Rower “if there were going to be more pieces of Calder jewellery in the world, he would make them.”
A Playful Artwork of Sublime Dancing Pieces
The work of Calder and especially his mobiles provided to the art scenery with a new dimension. The kinetic sculpture actively interacts with the physical elements of the environment and invites the viewer to play with it.
The grade of sophistication is achieved by the simplicity of balanced pieces that dance with the wind. He was a genius with the Midas touch to convert junk into sublime and delicate pieces of art.
If you are interested in knowing more about Calder’s work or checking out the exhibitions around the world the Calder Foundation offers a map with up-to-date information.
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