Alexander Calder: The Studio Visit That Changed Everything
Chapter 1

The toy circus that started it all

Chapter 2

Inventing the mobile

Chapter 3

Standing tall with stabiles

Chapter 4

The physics of perfect balance

YOUR GOAL

Master of Making art move: Alexander Calder

Ch 2 · Inventing the mobile
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Glossary
Colores primarios (sustantivo)
Tonos puros (rojo, amarillo, azul) con los que Calder pintaba las placas de sus móviles. El rojo era su favorito; estos colores actúan como un faro que guía el ojo a través del movimiento.
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Aug 20

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choko The art of abstract shapes

Aug 6

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Trading motors for the wind

choko See how Alexander Calder moved from motorized sculptures to wind-powered kinetic art in this educational infographic.

Aug 6

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Naming the mobile

choko Discover how Alexander Calder's moving art came to be called a mobile in this educational image from the Making Art Move series.

Aug 6

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Dancing Shapes
BETA

choko Play the Dancing Shapes game to explore kinetic sculptures. Balance shapes and colors to create your own moving art inspired by Alexander Calder.

Aug 6

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Fun Fact

Naming the mobile: The word "mobile" was suggested by artist Marcel Duchamp in 1931 because the French word double-means both "motion" and "motive."

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Aug 6

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Glossary
mobile (noun)
A type of kinetic sculpture with delicately balanced parts that move in response to air currents. Alexander Calder began creating these pieces in 1931, utilizing his background as a mechanical engineer.

Aug 6

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Gossip

Should art move or stay completely still?

Aug 6

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Quiz

In what year did Alexander Calder exhibit his first wind-driven, non-motorized hanging mobiles?

Aug 6

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choko The studio visit that changed everything

Aug 6

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Quiz

Who coined the term "mobile" to describe Alexander Calder's moving wire and metal sculptures?

Aug 6

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choko Trading motors for the wind

Aug 6

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Quiz

Which famous abstract painter's studio did Alexander Calder visit in 1930, inspiring him to create abstract art?

Aug 6

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choko Naming the mobile

Aug 6

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Quiz

What primary colors did Alexander Calder use most frequently to paint the flat metal plates of his mobiles?

Aug 6

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Quiz

What powered Alexander Calder's very first kinetic sculptures before he switched to natural air currents?

Aug 6

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Quiz

What shape did the flat metal pieces of Alexander Calder's mobiles often resemble?

Aug 6

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Quiz

What did artist Jean Arp call Alexander Calder's non-moving, stationary abstract sculptures to contrast with "mobiles"?

Aug 6

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Quiz

What natural phenomenon did Alexander Calder rely on to make his mature hanging sculptures move?

Aug 6