Calder’s Portraits: A new language
Most people probably associate caricatures with sidewalk sketch artists and political cartoonists, but an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery demonstrates allows visitors to experience this form of portraiture in a new way. “Calder’s Portraits: A New Language” is on view on the second floor of the north side of the Gallery through August 14.
Alexander Calder (1898-1976) is best known for his abstract mobiles and stabiles; this exhibition shows his revolutionary transformation of the art of portraiture. By bending and looping wires to create a “drawing in space” Calder was also able to make use of lighting and shadows, so the facial expressions of his subjects seem to change, giving the character life.
Because of Calder’s friendship with each of the subjects on display, he was able to give each caricature the special touches that reveal character. Wendy Belter, a recent visitor to the exhibit, described Calder’s caricature of Jimmy Durante, well-known musician, comedian and actor of the mid-20th century: “This has great humor, and it’s great art,” she said. “It is obviously a caricature—it’s not real to life, but it is real to his character, and the fact his personality is in it makes it seem more real.”
Another visitor brought to light the originality of creating the characters in 3-D. “A caricature picks out all the essentials of a person and puts them on display, and these caricatures are done three dimensionally,” said art student Annik Steiner.
This exhibition is also unique in its use of contemporary caricatures and photographs from NPG’s collections to put the likenesses against the backdrop of the popular culture of the time. “Calder’s Portraits” examines the artist’s relationships with his subjects (including himself) and how he defined and redefined himself through his art.
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Posted: 21 June 2011
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