Mobile Stabile 1949

Curator: This is William Turnbull’s "Mobile Stabile," a bronze sculpture in the Tate collection. It's a fascinating piece. Editor: It’s striking—almost like an abstract landscape, but also strangely unsettling with those spiky forms. Curator: Turnbull, influenced by post-war anxieties, explored themes of alienation and the human condition through abstract forms. This piece embodies that tension. Editor: The linear structure and the contrast between the solid base and the delicate, almost skeletal, extensions above are really compelling. It feels like a study in balance. Curator: Absolutely. The choice of bronze lends it a weighty, almost primitive feel, contrasting with the implied movement of a mobile. Editor: Seeing it now, I wonder if Turnbull was commenting on the fragility and resilience of society post-war. It's an interesting contradiction. Curator: It’s certainly a work that invites multiple interpretations. Editor: Agreed. A powerful piece that encourages contemplation on form and meaning.