Seventh Grade Sculpture Unit

Seventh Grade Sculpture Unit

• Lesson One: Mobiles inspired by Alexander Calder

• Lesson Two: Plaster Animal Sculptures

• Lesson Three: Foam Robot Sculptures

Vocabulary

• Kinetic- movement, motion

• Mobile- type of kinetic sculpture in which an ensemble of balanced parts capable of motion are hung freely in space.

• Balance- refers to the ways in which the elements of a piece are arranged. May be symmetrical or assymmetrical.

Kinetic Sculpture

• The moving parts are generally powered by wind, a motor or the observer.

• “Bicycle Wheel” by Marcel Duchamp is said to be the first kinetic sculpture.

Mobile

• constructed to take advantage of the principle of equilibrium

Balance

• Not just physical balance

• Symmetry- think of your eyes in relation to either side of your nose.

• Asymmetrical balance occurs when elements are placed unevenly in a piece, but work together to produce harmony overall.

Alexander Calder1898-1976

Alexander Calder

Biography

• Born in 1898, died 1976

• Both parents were artists- father was a sculptor and mother was a painter

• Moved to Paris in 1926 and became interested in the circus

• After visiting Piet Mondrian’s studio, was “shocked into abstraction”

Snow Flurry

Black White and Ten Red

The S-Shaped Vine

Works Cited

• Arthistory.About.com

• Calder.org

• Wikipedia.com

Images

• http://www.meguimaraes.com/subrosa/arquivo/cat_arte.html