FRANK CROWNINSHIELD 1928

Alexander Calder made this wire sculpture called FRANK CROWNINSHIELD. Calder worked a lot with wire, bending and twisting it into these spontaneous, three-dimensional drawings. It’s like he’s sketching in space! I can imagine him, pliers in hand, coaxing the wire, almost like he’s having a conversation with it. He probably started with a basic armature, maybe some circles for the eyes and mouth, and then just let the wire flow, finding the contours of the face. He captures something about the essence of a person with a few deft strokes of metal. Just look at the wry mouth, the intense gaze of the single eye. You can almost feel the artist’s hand moving, adjusting, figuring it out as he goes. There’s a playfulness here, a lightness, but also a real sense of observation and understanding of human form. It’s like he’s channeling Picasso, another master of line. Sculptors are always looking at each other’s work, trying to figure out what makes it tick.