Snow Flurry I 1948

Alexander Calder made this mobile, called Snow Flurry I, with painted metal and wire. He's working here with simple materials to make something really complex. You can see how the shapes hang in relation to each other; the lines create this moving dance of positive and negative space. Looking at the piece, it's all about balance and lightness. The wire is thin, almost invisible, and the metal discs are painted a crisp white. It's as if Calder is trying to catch a moment, like a flurry of snowflakes frozen in time. The way he puts it together makes me think of jazz music – an improvisation on a theme, where each element responds to the others in a kind of visual rhythm. There is a beautiful counterpoint between the different sized discs. Calder’s like his pal, Miró, who created his own visual language through simple shapes. Neither artist tells you exactly what to think. Instead, they invite you to bring your own experiences to the table.