It's a thing!

Two Artists Influence
Alexander Calder and Picasso were acquaintances. Even though they weren't close friends like Picasso and Matisse, their work was done in the same time period and there are similarities that weren't paired together until recently.   In October of 2016 the grandson's of Picasso and Calder met to show their grandparents work in one show.

Bend and Twist that crazy wire
With our pipe cleaners we learned how to make shapes like zig-zags with sharp angles, curves with soft angles; spirals that start with small curls, end with large curls and pop out; flat coils, loops twists and wrapping techniques. 

Sta what?
We create a sculpture that is interesting from all angles, has height, depth and width.  
We looked at the work of Alexander Calder who invented the mobile and stabile.  A mobile is a work of art that moves with air flow.  A stabile stays and does not move.

I don't know if I can say that
He worked in a non-representational style which is a big word for "it's just about shape and color". There are no representations of people, places or things in a non-representational work of art.
​Can you say non-representational?

Draw it out
After we created our incredible, flexible, colorful, soft and crazy sculpture, we worked on a drawing.  We let our sculpture inspire our drawing of lines that overlap and fill the paper.

Fun Facts:

Did you know the newly renovated National Gallery of Art has a room dedicated to Calder?  It's on the third floor and right next to the blue rooster.  You have seen the blue rooster right?  It's a must for 2017 if you haven't yet made the journey.

Link to the awesome Calder mobile at the National Gallery of Art
you will not be able to miss this 920 pound sculpture as you enter the East Wing.  

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