American, 1898-1976
The Spider, 1940 Painted sheet metal and steel rod, 95 x 99 x 73 in. (241.3 x 251.5 x 185.4 cm.)
Raymond and Patsy Nasher Collection, Dallas, Texas
1984.A.43
Label Text
Most famous among Calder's revolutionary contributions to modern art were his mobiles, ceiling-hung, free-floating assemblages of curving armatures and biomorphic shapes, first developed in the late 1920s. About ten years later he started to combine the compositional idea of the mobile with standing bases, as in The Spider. His use of bases literally brought the lyrical movement and balletic grace of the mobiles down to earth, into the viewer's own space.
Despite the stark black-and-white coloration of The Spider, its primary effect is lightness and delicacy, combining leaf-like appendages with long legs or branches. Immediate connotations include both multi-legged insects (hence, the title) and willowy plants.