Artists I like: Alexander Calder

Whenever I look at an Alexander Calder mobile, I think of balance. I think that's why I like him so much: his work makes plain this very precise exchange between parts of a whole. His mobiles feel delicate, almost temporal (even though they're not), that even my presence in the room is affecting the way the wires are moving, the way the pieces slowly turn. Participation.

On a recent trip to Washington DC (in my opinion, the land of art, art everywhere) I was fortunate enough to spend two full days museum hopping and I was able to see Calder's work a few different times. The first was a delightful surprise in the Hirshorn. I hadn't done any research to see what the museums were showing or what their permanent collections were like. I'd never been to DC before. I simply went and decided to see what I would see. When I stumbled into a room with a few of his mobiles, I'm pretty sure I made an audible squeal of job. And then I sat there with a huge grin on my face, looking like an idiot. Mobiles will do that to me.

And then again I stumbled upon him again, this time in the National Gallery's sculpture garden.
Calder is maybe known even better for his non-mobile sculptures, which are often red, white, or black and look very much like the one picture below, installed in the sculpture garden at the National Gallery. These pieces are a very different experience for me than his mobiles. This is not temporal or delicate--I do not feel as though I have any influence on the piece. Although, I can't quite pin this one down. The sculpture is entitled "Red Horse" and while it certainly appears red, there is not much horse-like about it. But then again, maybe there is. The legs taper down into--well, if nothing else, perhaps hoofs. And the neck(s)? reaching up tall and strong. These pieces I find appealing for different reasons. They're ambiguous, resisting definition and classification. What is it, my mind wants to know right away. Into what category can I file this thing? And there is no easy file in which to store it.







Check out a slideshow of his work at the Whitney.