APPLE MONSTER 1938

Alexander Calder made "Apple Monster" from painted wood and wire, and its playful awkwardness makes me smile. The way the colors are applied is almost childlike, but with a sophisticated awareness of form. There's a lightness of touch, an acceptance of the accidental, that invites you into the making process. Look at the wiry line that droops down like the monster's insides are spilling out. I think of Miro's surrealist sculptures, the way he turned found objects into whimsical characters. Calder also had this gift for breathing life into the inanimate. It reminds us that art isn't about perfection, but about the messy, beautiful act of creation. It's an ongoing conversation, a dance between intention and chance, and Calder was a master of both.