Step 1 - Introducing the Alexander Caldermtmhomeschool4art.com/uploaded_lessons/Track...

ALEXANDER CALDER – AGES 10 – ADULT | ONLINE EDITION

Step 1 - Introducing the Alexander Calder Slideshow Guide MOTIVATION BEGIN READING HERE

I want you to think of your bedroom. How did you leave your room? Did you straighten it up or did you leave it a mess? Did you make your bed, hang up your clothes, put your things away? Is your room neat, clean, and tidy or is your room messy? What if you were an artist? Would your art studio look like your bedroom does now? Would your studio be neat or messy? While you’re thinking about that I’m going to show you a photograph of the studio of our master artist today. His name is Alexander Calder. Do you think his studio will be neat or messy? Let’s find out!

Click Start Lesson To Begin

1. PHOTO OF CALDER’S STUDIO Does this remind you of your room? Calder’s studio always looked as though everything was piled up in a careless mess. But Sandy, as he was called, knew where each thing was, and would pick up just what he needed, even if it was buried under what looked like a mound of junk. As you can tell, he didn’t like to throw away the bits of scrap left over from cutting. He said, “You can always find new ways to use scrap metal, so it isn’t scrap anymore.” From what you see in his studio, and knowing the kind of material he used, what kind of art do you think Calder made? (MODELS, SCULPTURES, MOBILES) That’s right, Calder made mobiles and sculptures. Calder made very interesting and exciting mobiles. He became very famous, and his art can be seen all over the world. How did Calder ever get started with this type of art? From the time he was a small boy of ten, Sandy always had a workshop or studio of his own. Have you ever made a toy or game for yourself? His parents encouraged him to make things for himself. He and his sister Peggy made their own toys and games. When he was five years old, Sandy made wood and wire people and animals. At eight he was making jewelry for Peggy’s dolls out of little beads and wire that a telephone repairman had left in the street. When he was a famous artist he was still making jewelry for his wife, friends, and Peggy. Through the years, his workshops were all different. One was a tent; some were in basements of his homes. The one you see here was a separate building big enough for

1 ALEXANDER CALDER – Ages 10 – Adult | MeetTheMasters Online Edition


his huge sculptures. Let’s take a look at one of his sculptures. He began making metal sculptures as a child and continued as a skilled adult artist.

Click Next To Change Slide

2. HORSE What kind of animal did he portray with this wire sculpture? (HORSE) Is it ABSTRACT or realistic? (ABSTRACT) What did he change? (PROPORTIONS OF BODY) Let’s look closely to discover more about this sculpture. First notice the legs where they narrow down from two wires to one. Calder wrapped, or coiled the wire around instead of welding with heat to make the connection. Notice next the bony structure on the horse’s back. Can you find his mane? What changed when he created the horse’s mane? (USED THINNER WIRE) Have you heard of or used 3-D glasses? When you wear 3-D glasses, what happens? (THINGS HAVE DEPTH, SEEM MORE REAL) The term THREE-DIMENSIONAL applies not only to movies but to art as well. Do you think this sculpture is 3-dimensional? (YES) What three dimensions does it have? (DEPTH, HEIGHT, WIDTH)


3. LOBSTER TRAP AND FISHTAIL Mobiles are Calder’s most important works, and they are the American sculpture most admired by people all over the world. Calder invented and perfected this art of motion. Try to imagine this beautiful mobile in motion. Calder again started learning this art of motion as a child. I’m sure all of you liked to race cars and trucks around when you were small. But Sandy was more creative than that when it came to moving things around for play. Peggy remembers Sandy inventing car races pulled by horned toads in Arizona when she and Sandy were children. And how do you suppose he managed to get those toads to move? He dangled flies in front of them for appetizing encouragement. He harnessed his matchbox cars to the toads with thread, and off they raced! So by the time he was an adult, he had done many experiments with moving things. Let’s listen to Calder describe how he creates a mobile.

Click Audio

“I start by cutting out a lot of shapes. Next I file them and smooth them off. Some are bits I just happen to find. Then I arrange them on a table with wires between the pieces for the overall pattern. Finally I cut some more on them with the shears, figuring the balance. You put a shape here and then you put another shape at the other end and then you balance them on your finger. I begin with the smallest and work up.”



End Of Audio – Continue Reading

Having listened to his methods of working, can you point out what he did with the discs and wires to make this BALANCE? (DISCS ARE DIFFERENT SIZES, WIRES PROGRESSIVELY THINNER) Look carefully at this mobile and see if you can come close to Calder’s title. (HINTS IF NECESSARY: YOU WOULD FIND THEM IN THE OCEAN; IT’S A RED FISH PEOPLE LIKE TO EAT IN RESTAURANTS, IT’S CAUGHT IN A BASKET, THINK OF A PART OF A FISH) Calder’s title is Lobster Trap and Fishtail. Can you find the lobster’s claw, the trap, and the skeleton of the fishtail now that you know the title? (YES) Is this abstract art? (YES) How does this mobile show balance? (PROGRESSIVELY SMALLER SHAPES, LARGE TRAP ON ONE END, FISH SKELETON OPPOSITE, THINNER WIRES USED) Do you think he balanced this on his finger as he described earlier? (PERHAPS)


4. PHOTO OF CALDER WORKING IN STUDIO Calder always made his mobiles simple, with simple tools. He always carried a few small tools with him when he traveled so that he could set up a workshop anywhere. He deliberately avoided using power tools. All his mobiles were made to be taken apart easily. They could be mailed or shipped in surprisingly small packages when laid flat. His smallest mobiles were made to fit into envelopes. Wouldn’t that be an intriguing envelope to receive and open? We’ve seen a wonderful hanging mobile. But not all mobiles hang from ceilings. Can you think of another position for a mobile? - Click Next To Change Slide 5. BABY SPIDER This is a standing mobile. Can it still move? (YES) There are three kinds of mobiles: hanging, standing, and those that attach to walls. Calder designed all three kinds. Let’s try to again guess Calder’s title for this mobile. Clues: Something alive, small insect, spins webs. The title of this standing mobile is Baby Spider. How does it remind you of a spider? (LONG LEGS, UNUSUAL ANGLES, CRAWLING) Notice the colors Calder has used. In Lobster Trap and Fishtail, he used two of these colors. What were they? (BLACK, RED) And what color did he add in Baby Spider? (YELLOW) What did Calder add to this mobile to allow the shapes more directions for floating? (CHAINS) Is this abstract art? (YES) Is it three-dimensional? (YES)



How did Calder ever get started making his unusual mobiles? Another famous artist also worked on balance in his art. He arranged red, yellow, and blue squares and rectangles on his canvasses to balance. His art was completely abstract. Let me show you his geometric art and how it influenced Calder.


6. COMPOSITION III (BY MONDRIAN) What colors do you see? (RED, YELLOW, BLACK) Mondrian’s artwork is in the colors of red, yellow and black. When Calder decided to become an artist, after studying to be an engineer, he settled in Paris, France. The great Dutch painter, Mondrian, lived in Paris, and he invited Calder to his studio. Let’s also visit Mondrian’s studio. - Click Next To Change Slide 7. PHOTO OF MONDRIAN’S STUDIO Calder liked Mondrian’s bright rectangles and his choice of colors. When Sandy saw the pieces of colored cardboard tacked on Mondrian’s wall, he thought, “It would be fun to make these rectangles move.” And that was the beginning of Calder’s mobiles! So Calder was an inventor as well as an artist. He invented the mobile! He followed Mondrian’s choice of colors, and red, yellow, and black eventually came to be known as “Calder’s Colors.” But Calder didn’t put movement into all of his art. What do you think the word “STABILE” means? (DOESN’T MOVE) Let’s look at a Calder stabile.


8. WHALE His stabiles can be seen all over the world and seem to be the exact opposite of the mobiles he created. They certainly are stabile instead of mobile, but even so there is always a sense of movement in their design. Over the years Calder made them bigger and bigger, and most are painted solid black or red. For a big stabile, such as this entitled Whale, Sandy made a scale model. Then skilled metal workers would machine-cut the plates of heavy steel that were then curved between rollers and lifted by cranes to be put together by huge bolts. What do you see in this abstract stabile that you can relate to a whale? (COLOR, FINS, WAVES, SIZE) What can you pick out that gives it a sense of movement, even though it is stationary? (CURVES OF DESIGN)



What was the other color he usually made his stabiles? (RED) Picture in your mind a huge red, abstract stabile, entitled Flamingo. It stands outdoors in front of a skyscraper building and is so gigantic that people who walk under it are dwarfed by its size. Create a picture in your mind of an abstract, enormous red stabile. Let’s see if you came close to what Calder created. - Click Next To Change Slide 9. FLAMINGO Is this anything like you pictured? Use your imagination some more and pretend you are walking around this Calder stabile in a big city. As you walk under and around, it seems to be in motion because the angles and curves keep changing to form different shapes with every step you take. Are you feeling dwarfed by its immensity? Maybe this will help the experience feel real to you. - Click Next To Change Slide 10. FLAMINGO CLOSE UP The chances are that you’ll come across at least one Calder stabile in many of the big cities that you’ll visit, both in the United States and in Europe. Flamingo is located in Chicago. Let’s travel from Chicago to Wichita, Kansas, to view a large hanging sculpture Calder designed for the interior of a large building. You will be looking up at the ceiling.


11. WICHITA Did he again use “Calder Colors” in this mobile? (YES) It’s hard to comprehend the size of this sculpture because of the camera angle. The photographer was lying on the floor looking up at the mobile. But we know it’s very large and must have posed great difficulties to those in charge of hanging it inside the lobby of this building. Let’s look at the workers in action. - Click Next To Change Slide 12. HOISTING WICHITA This photo was taken while they were hoisting the mobile to its place with pulleys, ropes, and heavy equipment. How have they protected the artwork? (WRAPPED IT) Do you think this sculpture is heavy? (YES) Look at the size of the metal arms. They are about the thickness of the worker’s helmet. Next, look at the size of the discs. They are about the size of the entire man.So you can see how giant this sculpture is in Wichita, Kansas. But Calder made a mobile even bigger. Next you’ll see his largest mobile of all! Let’s now travel to Washington D.C.




13. UNTITLED MOBILE Look carefully and tell me how you can tell this one is larger than the last. (SIZE OF DISCS COMPARED TO PEOPLE – MUCH LARGER) This magnificent, giant mobile hangs in Washington D.C., in the National Gallery of Art. It dominates the lobby when you enter, and every visitor’s eyes automatically look up to watch the giant mobile move slowly with the air currents in the huge building. This was Alexander’s last mobile. After he designed this, he made a small-scale model from which the metal workers could work to make the giant one. Unfortunately Calder died before the mobile was finished. He never liked to name his mobiles until after they were hung. He never saw this installed in the National Gallery to give it a name. So it is called, Untitled Mobile by Alexander Calder.


14. PHOTO OF CALDER HOLDING MOBILE What kind of a man was Alexander Calder? After looking at his creations and this photo, what would you guess about his personality? (RESPONSES WILL VARY) He was always happy, joking, grinning and giggling. He showed us in his work that he received pure pleasure from combining interesting shapes, bright colors, and lively motion. That’s why his artwork gives us instant pleasure when we look at it. Calder experienced great popularity as an artist during his lifetime, and he was interviewed for magazine articles and books about his life and art. Listen to a reporter who interviewed Calder.

Click Audio

“Have you ever experienced sadness?” “No, I don’t have the time.” “What do you feel art should be?” “Above all, I feel art should be happy.” “Were there other artists in your family?” “My mother was a painter, my father and grandfather were sculptors. Yes, I came from a talented family who encouraged me from my earliest memories to be creative.”

End Of Audio – Continue Reading

CONCLUSION Calder called his mobiles, “poetry that dance.” Calder died at the age of 78. At his funeral a friend said, “The dancer is gone but the dance remains.” Calder’s mobiles now dance all over the world, and I hope you can one day experience seeing one of his exciting mobiles in person.

Click Next To Start Review Game



REVIEW GAME I'm going to test how well you were listening by playing a True/False Game based on the life and works of the Master Artist Alexander Calder. If you can score less than two wrong answers you will earn the "Creative Calder" Award! REVIEW GAME ANSWERS (For Instructors Only) 1. Alexander Calder lived in the United States. TRUE 2. He is most famous for his stabiles. FALSE 3. He was a disagreeable, unhappy person. FALSE 4. He called his mobiles “poetry that dance.” TRUE 5. His largest mobile is in Wichita, Kansas. FALSE 6. He began making mobiles after he visited Mondrian’s studio. TRUE 7. He balanced his discs on a scale. FALSE 8. Calder’s art is mostly abstract. TRUE 9. The 3-D’s are height, width, depth. TRUE 10. A stabile is a sculpture that moves. FALSE 11. Calder prefers to use power tools when he works. FALSE 12. Lobster Trap was a mobile. TRUE 13. Calder’s favorite colors were the same as Mondrian’s. TRUE 14. His art is found only in the United States. FALSE 15. He used different sizes of wire to create balance. TRUE Are you an Alexander Calder expert? You will soon have the chance to make your very own mobile in “Calder’s Colors.”

Click Next To Finish

Lesson

to exit this unit click

Back To Units



Step 2 - Learning From: Alexander Calder Shapes for Mobiles The shapes in Alexander Calder’s mobiles are always related in some way. Shapes can be related in many ways.

These shapes are all bent. These are triangular shapes.

These have curved sides. These seem to float. Draw three to five shapes that are related in some way.



Abstract Shapes Calder’s shapes are not realistic, but they remind us of something we have seen or a feeling we have had. His shapes are abstract. A shape becomes abstract when it is drawn more simply. Draw each shape more simply to make it abstract, in the box below.



The last few pages of this section contain the Art Activity for Alexander Calder. This step-by-step outline will be a guide for instructing your child(ren) through the activity. The parent/instructor should review all steps necessary to complete this project before beginning any work. Cut out the Artist Profile Slip below and attach it to the bottom of the completed art project. Alexander Calder (KAWL-der) - American 1898–1976 Alexander Calder is well known for his sculptures, especially his mobiles which are sculptures that move. He called his mobiles, “poetry that dance.” And Calder’s mobiles now dance all over the world. ART ACTIVITY EMPHASIS: Abstract shapes, balance MEDIA: Wire, construction paper, stickers Alexander Calder (KAWL-der) - American 1898–1976 Alexander Calder is well known for his sculptures, especially his mobiles which are sculptures that move. He called his mobiles, “poetry that dance.” And Calder’s mobiles now dance all over the world. ART ACTIVITY EMPHASIS: Abstract shapes, balance MEDIA: Wire, construction paper, stickers




Step 3 - Working With: Art Activity Instructions ARTIST Alexander Calder (KAWL-DER) 1898-1976 American ART ELEMENT Space MEDIA Wire, construction paper, stickers EMPHASIS Abstract shapes, balance

TECHNIQUE Wire and paper stabile VOCABULARY Mobile, stabile, balance, abstract VISUALS Print: Cow SUGGESTED MUSIC (On CD-Rom) Aaron Copland - Appalachian Spring

MATERIALS FOR INSTRUCTOR AND CHILDREN

One 6” x 6” piece of black construction paper One 6” x 6” piece of yellow construction paper One 6” x 6” piece of red construction paper Four 1” or 1.” white self-sticking round labels Two 9” long pieces of stiff wire (22 gauge) One 18” piece of stiff wire (22 gauge) One 15” piece of soft wire (26 gauge) *Note: There is no artist profile slip for this project. Paper clips (one for each child) Pipe cleaner (for instructor demonstration) Scissors and glue

PREPARATION Construct an example of the mobile to become familiar with the project. Use colored pipe cleaners for wire demonstration for better visibility by the children (Groups Only). SET-UP [ 5 minutes ] Distribute the following materials to the students:

SUPPLIES: Wire (explain safety): 15” soft wire (1 per child), 9” stiff wire (2 per child), 18” stiff wire (1 per child); stickers, paper clips PAPER: Black, red, and yellow construction paper

ORIENTATION [ 5 minutes ] Who remembers the name of the first sculptor we have met in the Meet the Masters program? (ALEXANDER CALDER) Do you remember the art word for the kind of sculpture


he made that hangs and moves freely in the air? (MOBILE) If it does not hang freely and move, it is called a _____? (STABILE) Today you will make a mobile using shapes and colors that Calder might have used. DEMONSTRATION AND ACTIVITY (Have children watch each step then follow immediately with their materials.) ORGANIZE YOUR WORK AREA [ 2 minutes ] 1. Place your wires (stress safety) out of the way near the top of your work area. 2. Put your colored papers and scissors in front of you. 3. Have your labels ready on one side. CUT THE SHAPES [ 10 minutes ] You drew ABSTRACT shapes in your Learning Packet. Because your MOBILE shapes will be floating in space, they should look like they are related to each other in some way, to balance the mobile. How are Calder’s shapes related? (CURVED, SMOOTH, COLOR, SHAPE) Think of making your cut shapes similar to each other in these ways. You will need a pair of large shapes, a pair of medium-size shapes, and two pairs of small shapes. (Show three sizes in sample mobile.) Let’s start by cutting out your small shapes with your scissors. 1. Fold one square of colored paper in half diagonally. Cut it in half on the fold. Fold each of the two remaining triangles in half and cut two similar shapes from each half (each shape larger than a sticker). These two small shapes balance each other and should be similar in size. Cut as if the folded paper is one piece. You will have two pairs of small shapes.

2. Choose one colored square and fold it diagonally. Cut your large abstract shape as if the folded paper is one piece. Make the shape fill the paper (make it as large as you can). You will have two of the same large shape. With the remaining color, fold the paper diagonally, and cut .” off a side. Cut two medium shapes (fill the paper). Show the children how to line the shapes up and grade them in size with their scissors. Emphasize similar shapes for balance.



MOBILE FIRST SECTION [ 10 minutes ] 1. Pick up one of the short wires and make a hook on one end by laying it on your work area so that one end is hanging about .” over the edge. Hold the wire down with one hand. Press the end down over the side of the work area so that it bends. Lift the wire and bend it a little more to make a hook. (Demonstrate with pipe cleaner.)

2. Place one of your smallest shapes in front of you on your work area. Lay the hook of your wire flat and in the middle of your shape. 3. Lift a sticker off the paper backing and put it right on top of the hook. Press the sticker down. Make sure the sticker will hold by rubbing, pressing, and counting to five until it is firmly stuck! 4. Put small dots of glue around the edge of the shape on the sticker side. Glue its matching shape covering the sticker. 5. Repeat steps 1-3 with the other end of the wire and the other pair of small shapes.

CUT AND PREPARE THE SOFT WIRE [ 5 minutes ] Cut the soft black wire into five 3” pieces. Children can estimate the size by measuring the length of their first finger. Using three of the soft pieces, prepare the “hangers.” Fold the 3” piece of wire in half. Loop one side back to the middle and twist together to form a loop. Prepare the other two pieces.



FIND THE BALANCE POINT With palm up, extend your index finger and carefully balance the first piece of your mobile on it. With your other hand, pick up a “hanger” of soft black wire and place its midpoint on top of the balance point so that it crosses the stiff wire. Then place your thumb over the two wires and hold them firmly.

Wrap half of the soft wire tightly around the stiff wire. MOBILE SECOND SECTION [ 10 minutes ] 1. Put the medium shape and the shortest remaining stiff wire in the center of your work area. 2. Bend a hook .” on one end of the wire. 3. Place the hook in the center of the shape and put a sticker over the hook. Press and rub and count to five so it holds!

4. Attach its matching piece with glue as previously described. 5. Bend a hook on the other end of this piece, just as you did before, but make it further in on the wire so that the hook is 1” long. 6. Hold the piece upright (as if you are holding a candle) with the hook down. JOIN THE FIRST AND SECOND MOBILE SECTIONS

1. Pick up the first section of your mobile and catch the loop with the hook. Bend the hook more so that it closes completely. 2. Wrap the bend tightly with soft wire. Cut off any extra wire.



3. Find the balance point and attach a loop as you did before. Set it aside.


MOBILE THIRD SECTION [ 10 minutes ] To make the third section, repeat the step you used for the second section of the mobile. Use the large shape and longest stiff wire. Add the hook for the top of the mobile at the balance point. After hooking and wrapping the hook, find the final balance point. Attach the remaining pre-made hook and use an opened paper clip or ornament hook to hang the mobile.

CONCLUSION Do you remember how Alexander Calder described his mobiles? Fill in my missing word: “Poetry that _____(s) with the joy of life.” (DANCES) (Give hints if needed: It’s done to music. It involves moving.) Let’s all make our mobiles “dance” by gently blowing on them to see the beautiful balance and movement you have created. I think Calder would have liked your “poetry” very much. Excellent work! GUIDANCE To make the mobile more THREE-DIMENSIONAL, press each shape between your thumb and forefinger. Then slightly bend the wire at the point where the wire extends from the sticker.

THIS CONCLUDES THE ALEXANDER CALDER UNIT.

Step 1 - Introducing the Alexander Caldermtmhomeschool4art.com/uploaded_lessons/Track...

Documents

Transcript of Step 1 - Introducing the Alexander Caldermtmhomeschool4art.com/uploaded_lessons/Track...