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#Post#: 19894--------------------------------------------------
Alexander Calder, Constellation
By: Forest Date: April 16, 2020, 2:48 am
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<Alexander Calder, Constellation>
Alexander Calder(1898-1976) was born as a son of a famous
sculptor in Philadelphia and has been interested in art since
childhood and used to make some sculptures. However, his
interest veered more toward mathematics and mechanics, so he
studied mechanical engineering from the Stevens Institute of
Technology and he enrolled atat the famed Art Students League in
New York later. In 1926 Clader went to paris to study art. While
staying in Paris between 1926 and 1933, Calder was influenced by
contemporary avant-garde artists such as Piet Mondrian, Jean
Arp, Yves Tangi and Marcel Duchamp.
Especially he was enchanted by Mondrian's simple abstract forms,
and with the desire to reinvent them as moving sculptures, he
created Mobile sculpture. Calder became an important leading
artist in 20th century with a new sculpture, Mobile which is
suspended by connecting abstract-shaped iron plates with thin
wires. He was an innovator who removed the pedestal on which the
statue was placed. He broke the traditional concept of
sculpture, and embodying a new sculpture with a motor or hanging
from the ceiling. It goes without saying that engineering
knowledge helped to solve technical problems when creating the
work.
Calder’s interest in cosmology dated back to the beginning of
the 1930s. He began producing works expressing interest in
cosmology, and <A Universe> in 1934 is one of them. Calder
mentioned his interest in the stars and the universe later as
follows:
“At that time and practically ever since, the underlying form in
my work has been the system of the universe. for that is a
rather larger model to work from.” ㅡ Alexander Calder,
1951
The discovery of Pluto in 1930 prompted in part Calder's
fascination with the solar system and astronomy. The work <A
Universe> is a precursor to the constellation series that began
in 1943. Small red spheres and white spheres representing the
planet are designed to rotate one wheel in 40 minutes by motor
movement along a curved path at different speeds. It resembled
orreries, astronomical devices that demonstrate the orbits of
the planets in the solar system. When this work was exhibited at
the museum, Albert Einstein reportedly stood transfixed in front
of its slowly moving orbs mobile for the entire forty minute
cycle. What would the genius scientist think of the artist's
work?
Calder's constellation works are consisted of abstract forms
made of industrial materials such as steel wire, wood, and
string. However, they feature the bold colors and elegant,
poetic shapes hanging in exquisite perfect balance, The
Constellation series were produced in two forms: Mobile and
Stabile. Mobile which was begun around 1931, is a sculpture in
which geometric shapes are constantly moved by the flow of air
or a motor, and is named by Henri-Robert-Marcel Duchamp
(1887-1968). Stabile is a work that is fixed on the floor and
does not move, and it was named by Jean Arp (1887-1966).
Calder was also very critical of the World War II, like the most
European artists who were suffered in the middle of the war. He
volunteered art therapy at military hospitals for wounded
soldiers, and participated in anti-Vietnam protests. It might be
only the universe that artists who felt depressed in the corrupt
Western civilization could be consoled by.
<Friendship between two artists>
The two artists’ constellations were created during World War
II, when they were separated from each other by the Atlantic
Ocean. It is even mysterious that two artists, who were unable
to meet and communicate with each other after Calder's return to
the United States in 1928, created similar works at this same
time. The artistic communion between them certainly seems to be
special. They enjoyed staying together, and this friendship
lasted for over 50 years until Calder's death in 1976. Both of
them also did not like to be involved in some particular art
movements. They resonated with Surrealism and Abstract art, but
didn’t want to stay in the frame of a particular art trend, and
tried their art to remain unique and independent from the art
movements.
They were both great artists who leaded the modern art in 20th
century, but they never thought of themselves as rivals, and
they constantly exchanged helps to nourish each other's art. Due
to the stylistic junction of his works, they also had a joint
exhibition at two galleries in New York on the subject of
<Calder / Miro: Constellation>. The strong ties between the two
artists are best seen in the Constellation series. The
friendship between the two men who are completely different in
personalities may be because that both of them tried to seek
harmony and balance in the Universe in common. Miro and Calder
discovered a pure, ideal world in the Universe.
#Post#: 19905--------------------------------------------------
Re: Alexander Calder, Constellation
By: Forest Date: April 19, 2020, 4:52 am
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=SJ link=topic=1435.msg19894#msg19894
date=1587023335]
<Alexander Calder, Constellation>
Alexander Calder(1898-1976) was born as a son of a famous
sculptor in Philadelphia and has been interested in art since
childhood and used to make some sculptures. However, his
interest veered more toward mathematics and mechanics, so he
studied mechanical engineering from the Stevens Institute of
Technology and he enrolled at the famed Art Students League in
New York later. In 1926 Calder went to paris to study art. While
staying in Paris between 1926 and 1933, Calder was influenced by
contemporary avant-garde artists such as Piet Mondrian, Jean
Arp, Yves Tangi and Marcel Duchamp.
Especially he was enchanted by Mondrian's simple abstract forms,
and with the desire to reinvent them as moving sculptures, he
created Mobile sculpture. Calder became an important leading
artist in 20th century with a new sculpture, Mobile which is
suspended by connecting abstract-shaped iron plates with thin
wires. He was an innovator who removed the pedestal on which the
statue was placed. He broke the traditional concept of
sculpture, and embodied a new sculpture with a motor or hanging
from the ceiling. It goes without saying that engineering
knowledge helped to solve technical problems when creating the
work.
Calder’s interest in cosmology dated back to the beginning of
the 1930s. He began producing works expressing interest in
cosmology, and <A Universe> in 1934 is one of them. Calder
mentioned his interest in the stars and the universe later as
follows:
“At that time and practically ever since, the underlying form in
my work has been the system of the universe. for that is a
rather larger model to work from.” ㅡ Alexander Calder,
1951
The discovery of Pluto in 1930 prompted in part Calder's
fascination with the solar system and astronomy. The work <A
Universe> is a precursor to the constellation series that began
in 1943. Small red spheres and white spheres representing the
planet are designed to rotate one wheel in 40 minutes by motor
movement along a curved path at different speeds. It resembled
orreries, astronomical devices that demonstrate the orbits of
the planets in the solar system. When this work was exhibited at
the museum, Albert Einstein reportedly stood transfixed in front
of its slowly moving orbs mobile for the entire forty minute
cycle. What would the genius scientist think of the artist's
work?
Calder's constellation works are consisted of abstract forms
made of industrial materials such as steel wire, wood, and
string. However, they feature the bold colors and elegant,
poetic shapes hanging in exquisite perfect balance, The
Constellation series were produced in two forms: Mobile and
Stabile. Mobile which was begun around 1931, is a sculpture in
which geometric shapes are constantly moved by the flow of air
or a motor, and is named by Henri-Robert-Marcel Duchamp
(1887-1968). Stabile is a work that is fixed on the floor and
does not move, and it was named by Jean Arp (1887-1966).
Calder was also very critical of the World War II, like the most
European artists who were suffered in the middle of the war. He
volunteered art therapy at military hospitals for wounded
soldiers, and participated in anti-Vietnam protests. It might be
only the universe that artists who felt depressed in the corrupt
Western civilization could be consoled by.
<Friendship between two artists>
The two artists’ constellations were created during World War
II, when they were separated from each other by the Atlantic
Ocean. It is even mysterious that two artists, who were unable
to meet and communicate with each other after Calder's return to
the United States in 1928, created similar works at this same
time. The artistic communion between them certainly seems to be
special. They enjoyed staying together, and this friendship
lasted for over 50 years until Calder's death in 1976. Both of
them also did not like to be involved in some particular art
movements. They resonated with Surrealism and Abstract art, but
didn’t want to stay in the frame of a particular art trend, and
tried their art to remain unique and independent from the art
movements.
They were both great artists who leaded the modern art in 20th
century, but they never thought of themselves as rivals, and
they constantly shared inspirations for each other's art. Due to
the stylistic convergence of his works, they also had a joint
exhibition at two galleries in New York on the subject of
<Calder / Miro: Constellation>. The strong ties between the two
artists are best seen in the Constellation series. The
friendship between the two men who are completely different in
personalities may be because that both of them tried to seek
harmony and balance in the Universe in common. Miro and Calder
discovered a pure, ideal world in the Universe.
[/quote]
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