76 A Maker of Mobiles

You probably know what a mobile is. These delicate constructions, hanging from the ceiling and moving gently with every breeze, delight both children and adults. But do you know who invented the mobile? This lovely creation was the work of an American artist named Alexander Calder.

Calder became interested in making things when he was a child, and even then he often used wire in his constructions. When he went to college, he studied engineering rather than art. But he quickly realized that art was his real passion. He also loved the circus, and many of his early art works were small circus figures made with wire and a pliers.

In about 1930, Calder turned from realistic wire figures to abstract ones. He began constructing objects that had circles, squares, and other geometric shapes intersecting each other. To get the shapes to move, he used small motors or hand cranks. Then he went one step beyond these early mobiles. He got the shapes in his constructions to move by themselves.

A mobile may look simple as it shifts in the wind, but it requires careful construction to work properly. Calder used his engineering knowledge to create his first mobiles. Often these consisted of small pieces of brightly painted metal strung by wire to a thicker base wire. Calder learned how to find the precise point to connect each wire so that all the pieces would sway in harmony. In doing so, he created an art form for people all over the world to copy and enjoy.

76 活动雕塑的创造者

你可能知道什么是活动雕塑。这些精致的装置悬挂在天花板上，随风轻轻摆动，让孩子和大人都为之着迷。但你知道是谁发明了活动雕塑吗？这个可爱的作品是美国艺术家亚历山大·考尔德的杰作。

考尔德小时候就对制作东西产生了兴趣，那时他就经常在作品中使用金属丝。上大学时，他学的是工程学而不是艺术，但很快意识到艺术才是他真正的热爱。他还喜欢马戏团，早期的许多作品都是用金属丝和钳子制作的小型马戏团人物造型。

大约在1930年，考尔德从写实的金属丝造型转向了抽象造型。他开始创作由圆形、方形和其他几何形状相互交错构成的作品。为了让这些造型动起来，他使用了小型马达或手摇曲柄。后来他又在这些早期活动雕塑的基础上更进一步，让作品中的造型能够自行移动。

活动雕塑在风中摆动时看似简单，但要正常运作需要精心的设计。考尔德运用他的工程知识创作了第一批活动雕塑，这些作品通常是将涂有鲜艳颜料的金属小件用金属丝串在较粗的底座金属丝上。考尔德学会了找到每个金属丝的精确连接点，让所有部件都能和谐摆动。通过这种方式，他创造了一种供全世界人们模仿和欣赏的艺术形式。