Alexander Calder, born 113 years ago in 1898,
may not have invented the baby mobile
, but his large sculptures, dubbed mobile art because of the use of moving parts and wires, were the inspiration for the genre.
Who created the baby mobile?
Alexander Calder, born 113 years ago in 1898,
may not have invented the baby mobile
, but his large sculptures, dubbed mobile art because of the use of moving parts and wires, were the inspiration for the genre.
What is a mobile who created it and why art?
Artist Alexander Calder
was the originator of the mobile. By suspending forms that move with the flow of air, Calder revolutionised sculpture. It was Marcel Duchamp who dubbed these works ‘mobiles'. Rather than a solid object of mass and weight, they continually redefine the space around them as they move.
What inspired Calder to create mobiles?
He adored the
American dancer Josephine Baker
and became fascinated with the kineticism of her body. This inspired him to do a whole series of figurative wire sculptures of her. These suspended wire constructions took Calder one step closer to the creation of the wind-driven mobiles of the 1930s.
When was mobile art invented?
In
the late 1920s
, Bruno Munari, an Italian artist, designer, and inventor, started to make what he called “Useless Machines,” pieces of art that could interact with their environment. A number of them resemble what would become modern art mobiles.
Why are they called mobiles?
The term “mobile”, a French pun meaning both “mobile” and “motive”, was
coined by Marcel Duchamp while visiting Calder's studio in 1931
, although he apparently already used the term in 1913 for his readymade Bicycle Wheel, which some consider to be the first kinetic sculpture.
Why do they call it a crib mobile?
A mobile is something you hang over a
crib to entertain the baby
, or a scale model of the universe. In 1940, the word mobile was first used to refer to a house that could be easily moved — a mobile home. If someone says to you jokingly that they “are not mobile,” it means that their car is not working.
How can I balance my mobile?
- Make sure the strings you tie to your top most rod are the same distance from the middle. …
- Weigh all of the shapes on the right side of the rod. …
- Move on to the next level of your mobile, if there is a split. …
- Balance your split.
What are the various types of mobiles?
- Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) Sometimes called pocket computers, PDAs are handheld devices that combine elements of computing, telephone/fax, Internet and networking in a single device. …
- Smartphones. …
- Tablet PCs. …
- Apple iOS. …
- Google Android. …
- Windows Phone. …
- Palm OS. …
- Symbian OS.
Why is mobile art important?
Mobiles remain a unique form of art that
could be adjusted and customized to fit any style and space
, and as such they are timeless and evergreen. Today, there are a few talented mobile creatives who were not intimidated by the powerful legacy of the father of mobile.
What are Calder mobiles made of?
Made from
sheet steel
, bolted together and brightly painted, these works wrecked his critical reputation and bloated his bank balance. Around 100 of Calder's early wire works and mobiles will be exhibited at Tate Modern next month.
How much are Calder mobiles?
Made with painted metal and wire in circa 1973, the same year he made the impressive, large (53 foot/16 m tall) Flamingo sculpture in Chicago (pictured below). The hanging mobile is almost one cubic foot big and signed, it is estimated to go for
200,000 to 300,000 USD
[Update March 10th: it sold for 422,500 USD].
What is the difference between mobile and stabile?
Calder's sculptural work can be broken down into two categories: “mobiles” and “stabiles.” Mobiles are sculptures that
utilize balance and movement
, and have also been called “kinetic art.” A mobile usually has a number of objects that hang from a single string, and the artist has arranged them so that their weights …
What did Calder use to put his mobiles into real motion?
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. To make a mobile, he
attached brightly painted metal shapes to wire
, using trial and error to balance each one.
What do you call a small painting of a person?
A portrait painting or drawing depicts the image of a particular person or animal, or group thereof. The subject of a portrait is usually called a “
sitter
“, because traditionally people would sit in front of the artist to have their portrait painted.
Who coined the French term mobile?
Calder
was one of 250 sculptors who exhibited in the 3rd Sculpture International held at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the summer of 1949. His mobile, International Mobile was the centerpiece of the exhibition.
