Alexander Calder

10 Pages 2407 Words

cosmos, as he would draw first inspiration from” the universe and it’s mechanics” (Baal-Teshuva 75). When looking at “Ghost” it is easy to feel as though you are looking into a man-made constellation.
The development of Calder’s form also represents his passion for dance and theatre (25). There is a theatrical aspect to “Ghost” and his other mobiles. As in a ballet, the individual elements make their entrance, and it takes time before the whole “performance” has be seen. The forms created by Calder’s mobiles can be interpreted as metaphor for dancer, with Calder as the master choreographer (25). But Alexander Calder liked to leave the interpretation of his works to others. “One of the biggest problems confronting me,” said the artist, “is to get enough free time to work and not to go around talking about it” (6). But time was not the artist’s enemy, in fact, Calder was in love with the transient nature of life; it is mimicked by the ballet of his mobiles.
Alexander “Sandy” Calder was born on 22 July 1898 in Lawton, today a suburb of Philadelphia (6). He was born into a family of artists, both his grandfather and father were commissioned sculptures. His father sculpted the statue of William Penn that had to be hoisted onto the roof of Philadelphia City Hall in 13 pieces. The impact of his forefathers was felt in his familiarity with handling public sculptural commissions. Like father and grandfather, Calder worked with architects, relating his artwork to the destined surroundings. And though many of those sculptures did not move freely like his mobiles, he tried to incorporate a feeling of motion into almost everything he did (10).
Also like his forefathers, Calder achieved recognition as a contemporary sculpture. But his vision went far beyond the boundaries of existing art movements. He created motor-driven constructions with geometrical dimensional form from: recta...