Big Boulder, Filled Spiral 1970

Editor: This is "Big Boulder, Filled Spiral," painted in 1970 by Alexander Calder, using acrylic paint. I’m immediately struck by its boldness - the flat planes of color and stark geometric shapes. What visual cues really stand out to you? Curator: The spiral immediately evokes ancient symbols - think of labyrinths, Celtic knotwork, or even whirlpools in creation myths. It acts as an archetypal image, representing both containment, within the black ‘boulder,’ and dynamic energy, flowing ever inward. The boldness of the colors is a vital part of its effect too, but doesn’t the red strike you as unusual, considering that we’re looking at a boulder? Editor: I suppose, usually you'd associate a boulder with browns and greys... The red certainly makes it more arresting! Almost unsettling, but maybe in a good way? Curator: Perhaps consider the work within the context of Calder’s career; he’s celebrated for his kinetic sculptures. Could the boldness, including this unexpected red, be alluding to unseen forces acting on the boulder, implying that even solid forms are subject to dynamism and movement? Are we perhaps seeing a metaphor for the atomic energy within something that we expect to be still and lifeless? Editor: That's a fascinating point; it really shifts my perspective. So, the filled spiral isn’t just a shape, but also a clue about what might be going on beneath the surface, some hidden force within? Curator: Precisely. The symbols unlock multiple levels of interpretation, hinting at the latent energies within apparently simple forms. It’s about tapping into shared visual vocabulary across time. Editor: I never considered a boulder as a metaphor for unseen energies. Now I see so much more than just shapes and colors! Thanks for drawing my attention to that cultural memory aspect of the symbolism, something I completely missed.