THE HELICES (DOUBLE HELIX) 1944

Alexander Calder made this sculpture, "The Helices," sometime in the twentieth century, and it’s easy to imagine him in the studio wrestling with this thing. The work has a rough texture, like a tree trunk, and the metal looks really thick. You can almost feel Calder bending and shaping it, trying to get those curves just right. It’s a physical thing, not just an idea but an object born from the body. It’s not just about the shapes, but also about the space in between. The gaps and holes are just as important as the solid parts. It’s like he’s trying to capture the essence of movement, of things spiraling and turning in the air. It reminds me of some of my own paintings, where I’m trying to find a balance between chaos and control, letting the materials do their thing while also guiding them. What I appreciate most about Calder is his ability to make something so playful and serious at the same time. He really did his own thing.