Wed !2th was a cold, wet and windy day so what better than to have our June meeting at the bright, warm and stimulating NGV St. Kilda Rd.At 1.30pm we were taken on a conducted tour of Alexander Calder’s exhibition. Our excellent guide gave us some background story of his life.
His parents were both artists. His father created sculptures of notable people in the mode of the day, and his mother was a portrait painter. They encouraged Sandy (as he was known) in his creativity by giving him the windowed basement of the house as his studio. With some copper wire and a pair of pliers, he began creating small pieces. We saw some of the pieces he made as gifts for his family and others.
His parents suggested he study something other than art to earn a living, so he chose engineering. He did well in his engineering studies and worked in various jobs, but he eventually returned to art living in NY and Paris. His background in engineering must have helped with his knowledge of materials and their properties. A visit to a circus captured his imagination for years. With brass wire he created wonderful sculptures depicting strength and movement. They were 2D with a 3D feel as the image would change as you moved around the wire sketch. He also created a miniature circus with figures that were able to swing from the high rope and ride on horseback etc. We see pictures of his grandson captivated by it all. From creating movement in his circus actors, he began to create movement in abstract works. Duchamp coined the name mobiles for Calder’s hanging and moving works. His mobiles were so exquisitely made with wire and pieces of coloured flat metal, and so cleverly balanced, we were mesmerized. Later when he created monumental standing works they were called stabiles. The maquettes of these gave an indication of how amazing and impressive they were. One stood 15 metres high.
We were so impressed we stayed beyond the tour to spend more time gazing at his magic. It was so inspiring.
Betty Knight
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