Calder's balancing acts

1. Calder's Balancing Acts
American, 1898–1976

2. How do you think Calder balanced
this mobile? How do you imagine it
moves in space?
Warm-Up Questions

3. Background
 Calder received a degree in mechanical
engineering. He worked as an engineer for a
short time but then decided to study painting
in New York City. He earned money by
drawing illustrations for newspapers. He drew
pictures of the circus for one paper and also
made hundreds of animal drawings at the
zoo.

4. Lifetime
 During his lifetime, Calder created more than
16,000 works of art, including drawings,
paintings, jewelry, tapestries, stage sets, and
sculptures. However, he is most famous for his
moving sculptures, called mobiles. Instead of
anchoring these three-dimensional works to
the ground, Calder usually suspended them
from the ceiling to allow them to float freely
in space.

5. Mobile-making
 To make a mobile, he attached brightly
painted metal shapes to wire, using trial and
error to balance each one. He usually cut
natural forms that looked like leaves and
petals rather than hardedge geometric
shapes. Calder's engineering background
came in handy as he experimented with
different materials to balance and build his
mobiles.

6. Mechanical installations
 His use of industrial materials—steel,
aluminum, and wire—was new. When Calder's
mobiles move with the breeze, they change
shape and cast interesting shadows. Some
even "sing" as their movable parts rub against
each other.

7. Guided Practice
Compare and contrast Calder's
stabile Cheval Rouge to his mobile
Untitled using the above criteria
and have students clarify what is
different about this work of art.
Left:
Alexander Calder
American, 1898–1976
Cheval Rouge (Red Horse), 1974
Right: Alexander Calder
American, 1898–1976
Sea Horses, 1928
http://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/education/teachers/l
essons-activities/counting-art/calder.html