MEN PERSUADING ELEPHANT 1931

Alexander Calder made this pen and ink drawing of men persuading an elephant, but we don’t know exactly when. The beauty of Calder’s line is its wobbly, slightly uneven quality. I feel like I can see him making it, almost as if he were drawing with his eyes closed. I love the way he manages to capture the essence of movement with such simple means. The figures are active with their arms thrown out wide, but it’s hard to know what they’re saying to the elephant. Are they encouraging or threatening? Perhaps Calder is showing us how communication isn't always about words, but also about gestures, tone, and the energy we bring to a situation. Calder was also famous for his wire sculptures, and I love the way this drawing feels like he’s bending a wire in space. What’s so magical about art is how it’s an ongoing conversation, and how one artist's idea can trigger another's, across time, and in all sorts of mediums.