“The Star” is a distinctive piece of kinetic art created by Alexander Calder in 1960. Calder was a pioneer of the kinetic art movement, known for his innovative sculptures and mobiles. The artwork is a mobile, which is a type of moving sculpture that is delicately balanced and designed to respond to air currents, allowing for continuous and fluid movement.
The artwork captures the essence of movement and balance, two key elements often found in Calder’s works. This mobile features an array of abstract shapes that are held together by slender metal rods and wires. The shapes are meticulously arranged in a way that they can move independently, engaging with the surrounding space and creating an ever-shifting visual experience. The color palette includes bold primary colors like red and black, interspersed with a singular bright yellow star shape, which gives the name to this piece, “The Star.” Each element is connected in a manner that seems at once random and carefully orchestrated, emblematic of Calder’s unique approach to sculpture where form and function are intrinsically linked to the physics of movement.
