Two new exhibits at Seattle Art Museum deliver almost a dichotomy of two titans of the art world.
On the one hand, there’s the joyful art of American sculptor Alexander Calder, considered a leader in developing abstract art in the 20th century and the man who invented the mobile.
On the other hand, there’s the insight we gain into Michelangelo, a brooding Renaissance man, full of ego and paranoia, who tried to carve out a public image that his perfect masterpieces were produced through a single divine act.
The juxtaposition of these two exhibits makes for an exciting contrast and comparison in creative genius, both men artistic prodigies of their time.
More than 80 works make up the exhibit, “Alexander Calder: A Balancing Act.” Visitors get a range of his work, including gouache drawings on paper, jewelry and one of the artist’s largest mobiles. The exhibit is on view through April 11.
Calder, whose huge, red wing-shaped steel sculpture “Eagle” sits at SAM’s Olympic Sculpture Park, mixed scales from the very large to the very small and used similar themes in his pieces, such as the color red, said curator Michael Darling.
The standing mobile “Bougainvillier,” made of sheet metal, wire, rod, lead and paint, is the iconic image when it comes to Calder, Darling said.
The work comes together in a complex arrangement that looks like a vine with branches and delicate leaves, whose elements bounce along with the air currents.
“It’s so complex and so poetic. It really captures him at his best,” said Darling during a press tour of the exhibit.
There’s one room in the exhibit that is comprised of four mobiles from the 1940s, Calder’s most celebrated period. The room gives a one-on-one experience with the pieces, allowing visitors to see how Calder tested the cantilever further and further.
The exhibit “Michelangelo Public and Private: Drawings for the Sistine Chapel and Other Treasures from the Casa Buonarroti,” is a sobering yet fascinating look inside what made this master tick.
The exhibit includes personal documents, letters and an illustrated menu, all lending insight into the master’s humanity — what he ate, his kidney failure and moments in his day-to-day life.
The exhibit is also about transformation, said Gary Radke, curatorial adviser for SAM.
“Every work is coming into being and changing before our very eyes,” Radke said.
Michelangelo burnt hundreds of his drawings because he only wanted people to see the perfect ones, Radke said.
“This is not exactly the dirty underwear but the normal Michelangelo he didn’t want us to see,” Radke said.
The largest collection of Michelangelo’s drawings are kept at the Casa Buonarroti in Florence. Twelve of these drawings are the exhibit’s centerpiece and most are original preparatory drawings for the master’s frescoes on the Sistine Chapel ceiling and altar wall, revealing that these full-blown designs were really the product of meticulous study and revision.
The exhibit “Michelangelo Public and Private” — which includes a cell phone audio tour by Radke — ends in a gallery with a bronze bust of the artist. The bust reveals Michelangelo’s flat nose from when he was punched by one of his students after being sarcastically critical of the student’s work, Radke said.
Theresa Goffredo: 425-339-3424; goffredo@heraldnet.com.
Two at SAM
“Alexander Calder: A Balancing Act,” which is on view through April 11, and “Michelangelo Public and Private: Drawings for the Sistine Chapel and Other Treasures from the Casa Buonarroti,” on view through Jan. 31 at SAM, 1300 First Ave., Seattle. Suggested adult admission is $15. Free for children 12 and under. Call 206-654-3100 or go to www.seattleartmuseum.org.
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