BABE RUTH 1936

Alexander Calder made this wire sculpture of Babe Ruth with wire, and probably just some pliers and his own two hands! You can tell this piece was process-led, because it's so immediate and direct - there is no hiding the hand of the artist here. It has this fantastic lightness to it, a line that's been freed from the page or sketch book. It makes me think about the physical presence of the wire and how, like a calligraphic brush stroke, the material is so economical and expressive. Check out the way that Calder captures Ruth's jawline with a simple coil of wire, it's like one continuous gesture. Calder made a whole series of these wire portraits in the late 1920s and early 30s, but I'm also reminded of Picasso's line drawings, where so much can be expressed with so little. Art is always a conversation - an ongoing conversation, right?