Black Man 1969

Alexander Calder made this, Black Man, with paint, probably gouache or something similar. It's just a few colours: black, red, yellow, and blue, but it’s how they’re used, right? I can imagine Calder making this, maybe quickly, flat on a table. Or perhaps he pinned the paper to the wall. I see a dark figure, maybe a face or a mask, surrounded by flame-like shapes. The eyes, those white staring eyes, are so direct, and that line of a mouth seems sad or angry. It feels raw, like a child’s drawing, but you know Calder, with all his mobiles and abstract shapes, he was very playful. Look how the black paint is opaque, dense. Then the red and yellow—they're a bit translucent. The surface looks smooth, kind of matte. It’s so simple, but so powerful. It reminds me a little of Miró, but with Calder’s unique sense of humour and movement. Artists are always in conversation with each other, taking bits and pieces and making something new. Painting is embodied expression, embracing uncertainty.