Untitled 1934

This untitled construction by Alexander Calder features floating geometric shapes suspended within a stark, circular frame. The circle, an ancient symbol of the infinite, of wholeness, immediately brings to mind the ouroboros, the snake that eats its own tail, representing cyclical existence. Throughout history, the circle has manifested in countless forms, from religious halos denoting sanctity, to the mandalas used in meditative practices. Consider Giotto's Ognissanti Madonna; the halo that surrounds her head conveys a powerful sense of divine perfection. Here, Calder subverts the circle's traditional associations. It is no longer a static symbol of completion but a dynamic frame for movement and change. The hanging shapes—spheres and cylinders of primary colours—dance in a delicate balance, suggesting the ever-shifting nature of existence. Calder taps into our collective memory of the cosmos and the subconscious desire for order within chaos, inviting us to contemplate the interplay between stability and motion. It embodies a constant state of becoming, a perpetual return to the origin, echoing the eternal cycle of life, death, and rebirth.