Rattle in the Orange 1969

Alexander Calder gives us "Rattle in the Orange", with gouache on paper, and immediately we are confronted with an image steeped in primal symbolism: the snake, coiled and ready to strike. Consider this serpent not merely as a creature of the earth, but as a potent signifier. Since ancient times, the snake has slithered through the collective consciousness, shedding its skin, it embodies cyclical renewal. The Ouroboros, an emblem found in Egyptian and Greek iconography, depicts a snake devouring its own tail, representing the eternal return and the unity of beginning and end. Here, Calder’s snake is not merely an emblem of fear or temptation as in the Abrahamic traditions, but perhaps, an evocation of subconscious energies. The snake is intertwined with an orange circle, suggestive of the life-giving sun, or perhaps a representation of paradise as the origin of man, a potent psychological drama unfolds. The journey of the snake is a testament to the enduring power of symbols, resurfacing time and again, charged with new interpretations.