“UN EFFET DU JAPONAIS” is a sculpture created by the artist Alexander Calder in 1941, which belongs to the Kinetic Art and Expressionism movements. This artwork is categorized as a stabile, a term that refers to Calder’s stationary abstract sculptures that contrast with his mobiles, which introduce movement. This stabile reflects Calder’s unique style, building on forms that suggest motion even in stillness.
Looking at the artwork itself, “UN EFFET DU JAPONAIS” appears to be constructed of metal, with a central, abstract, Y-shaped form that serves as the primary structure. From this central form, multiple thin, straight red wires extend diagonally upward in a burst-like pattern from one side, while a singular curving wire with a red orb at its end balances the formation on the opposite side. On the other flank of the structure, a longer curving wire, black in color with a black spherical element at its end, seemingly provides a counterbalance. The base of the stabile is flat, ensuring stability of the artwork.
The stabile combines a sense of equilibrium and dynamism, with its extended elements suggesting latent energy as though frozen mid-movement. The use of color is sparse but striking, with the red adding a vibrant contrast to the solid, matte black of the central structure. The title, translating from French as “An Effect of the Japanese,” could indicate an influence from Japanese aesthetics or culture, perhaps in the piece’s suggestion of balance and harmony. Alexander Calder’s stabile encapsulates a moment of kinetic potential, a hallmark of his revolutionary work, which forever changed the landscape of modern sculpture.
