ACROBATS 1927

Alexander Calder shaped this sculpture “Acrobats” out of wire. Look how it is made. It is like drawing in space. It's all about line and balance, a dance of form and void. You can almost feel him bending and shaping the wire, trying to capture the energy and dynamism of the circus performers. It's a bit like how I approach painting, working intuitively, responding to the material, letting the form emerge through the process. I imagine Calder in his studio, surrounded by tools and wire, lost in the act of creation. He's thinking about motion, about weight and counterweight. He's thinking about how to make something that feels alive, even though it's made of static materials. The way the wire loops and curves, it suggests movement, like a snapshot of a fleeting moment. It reminds me of Picasso's line drawings, how he could capture the essence of a subject with just a few strokes. It shows how all artists are in conversation, inspiring one another.