Fish

1942
Alexander Calder, 1898-1976

Rod, wire, glass, mirror, porcelain, pottery, string, and paint, 15 x 36 1/2 in., Promised gift of Jon and Mary Shirley, photo: Nicholas Shirley, Brightwood Photos.

Simplicity of equipment and an adventurous spirit in attacking the unfamiliar or unknown are apt to result in a primitive and vigorous art.

Alexander Calder

Throughout his career, Calder’s process was intuitive and direct, and he used humble materials in imaginative and unexpected ways. Calder depicted fish as early as 1929, but this particular mobile is believed to be the first of a series of approximately a dozen made from wire and found objects (such as pottery shards and glass). Calder noted, “I have made … several fish, with pendant pieces of broken glass selected by me—some eroded by sea and sand—which I picked up on beaches.” Some of the items used in this series were also discovered in a farmer’s junk pile on the artist’s farm in Roxbury, Connecticut. The addition of detritus adds color and depth to the mobile as it casts radiant shadows on the wall.