Alexander Calder
Calder's first New York City exhibition was
in 1928, and other exhibitions in Paris and Berlin gained him
international recognition as a significant artist. A visit to
Piet Mondrian's studio proved pivotal. Calder began to work
in an abstract style, finishing his first nonobjective construction
in 1931.
In early 1932, he exhibited his first moving
sculpture in an exhibition organized by Marcel Duchamp, who
coined the word "mobile." In May 1932, Calder's fame
was consolidated by the first United States show of his mobiles.
Some were motor-driven, His later wind-driven mobiles enabled
the sculptural parts to move independently, as Calder said,
"by nature and chance." Calder returned to the
United States to live and work in Roxbury, Massachusetts in
June 1932.
From the 1940s on, Calder's works, many of
them large-scale outdoor sculptures, have been placed in virtually
every major city of the Western world. In the 1950s, he created
two new series of mobiles: "Towers," which included
wall-mounted wire constructions, and "Gongs," mobiles
with sound.
Calder was prolific and worked throughout his
career in many art forms. He produced drawings, oil paintings,
watercolors, etchings, gouache and serigraphy. He also designed
jewelry, tapestry, theatre settings and architectural interiors.
Calder died in 1976. (text from http://rogallery.com/Calder_Alexander/calder-biography.htm)
Calder's art today is known as kinetic art. Art based on movement, time, and space.
1. How do you think that this type of art changes the way people look at art? Explain.
2. What do you think about Calder's choice of colors?
3. Calder's work has also served the purpose of installation art. How do you think that works like those above can change the environment of where it is installed? How will people react?
4. How would you react if one of Calder's works were put outside of our school?
***********************REMEMBER NEW RULES***********************************
*Blog responses are due Sundays, no exceptions.
*You have one week to complete blogs
*No more going back to make up blogs
*Each response must be a paragraph (5-10 sentences)
You must comment on someone else blog (agree, disagree, add to it, or make them understand your point of view)
*Your blog response must have your correct name (or else how do I know who you are?)
