“CONSTELLATION” is a sculpture by Alexander Calder created in 1942. As a work of the Kinetic Art movement, this piece falls within the genre of mobile sculptures, exemplifying the dynamic and innovative approach to art that characterizes Calder’s body of work.
The artwork depicted is a complex assembly of interconnected elements poised in a delicate balance. At the center, there is a larger, central biomorphic shape from which various organic forms splay out on wires. These shapes appear to float around the central form, fostering a sense of celestial motion, reminiscent of planets orbiting around a star, which is in line with the title “CONSTELLATION”. Calder’s signature use of void space and the carefully calibrated arrangement of elements make the piece seem to shift and change when viewed from different angles, giving it a lively, kinetic quality even though it is a static object. The sculpture invites contemplation on the relationship between the parts and the whole, as well as the interaction between art and the space around it.
