Lobster Trap and Fish Tail
Encyclopedia
Lobster Trap and Fish Tail, a mobile
by American
artist Alexander Calder
, is located at the Museum of Modern Art
in New York City
, New York
, United States
. It is one of Calder's earliest hanging mobiles and "the first to reveal the basic characteristics of the genre that launched his enormous international reputation and popularity."
, the painted steel wire and sheet aluminum sculpture is 8' 6" (260 cm) x 9' 6" (290 cm) in diameter. The sculpture suggests the movement of underwater life.
Calder became a leading exponent of kinetic art
, combining his engineering training with his studies of art in New York and Paris. According to a review in the New York Sun
, "There, he became enthralled with the biomorphic surrealism
of Joan Miró
as well as the powerful choreography
of modern dance
pioneer Martha Graham
." After experimenting with motorized sculptures, Calder began creating works that moved and floated when touched or exposed to air currents. Calder composed motion with works like Lobster Trap and Fish Tail, "harnessing the performative potential of the mechanical sciences."
Mobile (sculpture)
A mobile is a type of kinetic sculpture constructed to take advantage of the principle of equilibrium. It consists of a number of rods, from which weighted objects or further rods hang. The objects hanging from the rods balance each other, so that the rods remain more or less horizontal...
by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
artist Alexander Calder
Alexander Calder
Alexander Calder was an American sculptor and artist most famous for inventing mobile sculptures. In addition to mobile and stable sculpture, Alexander Calder also created paintings, lithographs, toys, tapestry, jewelry and household objects.-Childhood:Alexander "Sandy" Calder was born in Lawnton,...
, is located at the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is one of Calder's earliest hanging mobiles and "the first to reveal the basic characteristics of the genre that launched his enormous international reputation and popularity."
History
The sculpture was commissioned by the Advisory Committee for the stairwell of the museum when the new building opened in 1939. Fabricated in Roxbury, ConnecticutRoxbury, Connecticut
Roxbury is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 2,136 at the 2000 census.-History:Roxbury, whose Indian name was "Shepaug", a Mahican name signifiying "rocky water", was settled about the year 1713...
, the painted steel wire and sheet aluminum sculpture is 8' 6" (260 cm) x 9' 6" (290 cm) in diameter. The sculpture suggests the movement of underwater life.
Calder became a leading exponent of kinetic art
Kinetic art
Kinetic art is art that contains moving parts or depends on motion for its effect. The moving parts are generally powered by wind, a motor or the observer. Kinetic art encompasses a wide variety of overlapping techniques and styles.-Kinetic sculpture:...
, combining his engineering training with his studies of art in New York and Paris. According to a review in the New York Sun
New York Sun
The New York Sun was a weekday daily newspaper published in New York City from 2002 to 2008. When it debuted on April 16, 2002, adopting the name, motto, and masthead of an otherwise unrelated earlier New York paper, The Sun , it became the first general-interest broadsheet newspaper to be started...
, "There, he became enthralled with the biomorphic surrealism
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
of Joan Miró
Joan Miró
Joan Miró i Ferrà was a Spanish Catalan painter, sculptor, and ceramicist born in Barcelona.Earning international acclaim, his work has been interpreted as Surrealism, a sandbox for the subconscious mind, a re-creation of the childlike, and a manifestation of Catalan pride...
as well as the powerful choreography
Choreography
Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
of modern dance
Modern dance
Modern dance is a dance form developed in the early 20th century. Although the term Modern dance has also been applied to a category of 20th Century ballroom dances, Modern dance as a term usually refers to 20th century concert dance.-Intro:...
pioneer Martha Graham
Martha Graham
Martha Graham was an American modern dancer and choreographer whose influence on dance has been compared with the influence Picasso had on modern visual arts, Stravinsky had on music, or Frank Lloyd Wright had on architecture.She danced and choreographed for over seventy years...
." After experimenting with motorized sculptures, Calder began creating works that moved and floated when touched or exposed to air currents. Calder composed motion with works like Lobster Trap and Fish Tail, "harnessing the performative potential of the mechanical sciences."
See also
- Other works by Calder
- Mercury Fountain
- FlamingoFlamingo (sculpture)Flamingo, created by noted American artist Alexander Calder, is a 53 foot tall stabile located in the Federal Plaza in front of the Kluczynski Federal Building in Chicago, Illinois, United States...
- Mountains and CloudsMountains and CloudsMountains and Clouds is the name of a sculpture by Alexander Calder, located in the Hart Senate Office Building.- Background :The Hart Senate Office Building, first occupied in 1982 and named for Michigan Senator Philip A. Hart, broke with tradition...
External links
- Lobster Trap and Fish Tail via Museum of Modern ArtMuseum of Modern ArtThe Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...