Wire Sculpture
Alexander Calder
1898-1976
Calder with Myxomatose, 1953 (A08122), Paris. Photograph by Agnès Varda, 1954
Goldfish Bowl , 1929
Wire
16" x 15" x 6"
Calder Foundation, New York
“Calder utilized his innovative genius to
profoundly change the course of modern art. He
began by developing a new method of sculpting:
by bending and twisting wire, he essentially
"drew" three-dimensional figures in space. He is
renowned for the invention of the mobile, whose
suspended, abstract elements move and balance
in changing harmony. Calder also devoted himself
to making outdoor sculpture on a grand scale
from bolted sheet steel.”
-http://calder.org/home.html
Joan Miro, c. 1930
Wire
11 7/16" x 10 5/8"
Fernand Leger, 1930
Wire
16" x 14"
Private Collection
Vertical Foliage, 1941
Sheet metal, wire, and paint
53 1/2" x 66"
Calder Foundation, New York
Calder Websites:
• http://calder.org/home.html
• http://www.artknowledgenews.com/Alexa
nder_Calders_Paris_Years.html
Elizabeth Berrien
http://www.wirelady.com/index.html
She’s a contemporary artist who began working with
wire in 1968 when given an assignment in high school
art class.
“Animals have always been a presence in Elizabeth
Berrien's life. She lives on a farm on California's rugged
north coast with cats, dogs and horses, and occasional
visits from foxes, raccoons, bears and mountain lions.”
-http://www.wirelady.com/about.html
2-D Wire Pygmy Goat
Pegasus, Louisville Airport
Naomi Grossman
She is a contemporary artist working in New York.
“My wire sculptures and mixed media installation pieces
reference the female form and become drawings in space.
The wires change in thickness as a drawn line might. Words
like thoughts appear. The wire creates a tension- “wired”while also conveying both strength and fragility.”
http://www.naomigrossman.com/statement/
Freefall
Bring in an actual object or several photographs of
an object from different angles to use as a
reference for your wire sculpture. It is best to have
an actual 3d object to look at as a reference!
Ideas: shoe, gumball machine, instrument,
camera, microscope, clothes iron, wooden figure,
pumpkin or gourd, sea shell
Draw some preliminary sketches to break the
object into basic contour lines and shapes.
Consider the positive and negative space you’re
creating.
Main Objectives:
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The level of craftsmanship in the creation
and finishing of your work is exemplary.
The sculpture shows an understanding of
your referenced object. The sculpture is
creative and inventive with the way in
which you use line, shape and space.
The proportions are accurate to your
referenced object. OR you chose to
exaggerate an area to create emphasis.
Student Work
Vocabulary: define these
terms in your journal.
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•
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•
•
contour
outline
expressive
gauge
crimping
Art Elements
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•
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Principles of Design
Line
• Proportion
Shape
• Emphasis (focal point)
Form
Space (positive
and negative)
Vocab Answers
• Contour- lines that define edges and surface
ridges of an object (helps to create 3dimensional look)
• Outline- lines that shows outer edges of a
shape (flat; 2d)
• Expressive- conveying ideas or moods
(feelings)
• Gauge- the thickness of wire (lower number =
thicker diameter)
• Crimping- pressing and pinching wire together
Shape vs. Form
Shape = two-dimensional (2d),
height and width
Form = three-dimensional (3d),
height and width and depth
Positive Space (figure): the object or form
Negative Space (ground): empty spaces
surrounding forms
Proportion = size
relationship of one
part to another
Emphasis = making
one part dominant