I’ve always liked Alexander Calder’s work, especially the mobiles. The grace and the balance with which those red and black pieces of steel were assembled makes them a pleasure to watch. The mobiles especially hit that intriguing interface between art and mathematics and science.
NPR this morning had an article on Calder’s jewelry in honor of the 110th anniversary of his birth. The Philadelphia Museum of Art has an exhibit of these works right now, with unfortunately few photographs. There is an associated book though:
I don’t usually put in the full Amazon stuff, just the text link, but I really like the cover on this one.
In honor of Calder’s birthday, here are a couple more fun sites: directions for making a Calder mobile of your own, and a Java applet that lets you do the same thing (virtually) without all the work.
