Model For East Building Mobile

The Mobile above was made by Alexander Calder in 1972, and given as a gift by the collectors committee. It is one of the first mobiles ever made, and consists of steel wire and aluminum. The aluminum is painted red and blue, with the wires connecting each aluminum shape with one another in a visually appealing design. The shapes are rounded and slightly geometric with thin wires to create contrast The negative space of this work is especially intriguing because there is so much negative space that the feeling of the mobile floating is very prominent. The mobile idea, invented my Calder himself, is successful in this sculpture because of its negative space. Also, the colors are important in this work because the primary colors are fairly bright against the dark grey wire, creating a contrast. One last thing that is interesting about this piece is the symmetry. It is unbalanced yet it still floats in a straight line. This makes the piece different from anything else before or after it.
One piece of work that is fairly similar to this mobile is the curtain by Marian Mahler. It is a red curtain with a print that consists of yellow, white and black shapes coming down from strings. This reminds me of the mobile because of the way it is suspended. Also, the colors are similar because the red background is bright and the colored shapes on the foreground are brighter and darker than the red to create a contrast just like Calder’s piece. One other thing I noticed was the negative space in this work. It isn’t the same as the mobile, but it was used with the same idea.
Le Corbusier’s loveseat is one artifact that is completely different from the mobile. It is a larger piece for one, but it also has no negative space. The chair is very grounded because of it’s size and shape. Also, instead of organic shapes and curves, this chair has only straight lines.