LIONESS 1929

Alexander Calder made this reclining Lioness out of wood, and well, it’s just so cool to see the touch of the hand and the tool so evident in the finished piece. It's all about process, isn't it? The way Calder has worked directly into the wood, you can almost feel the give and take between him and the material. The texture is warm, almost burnt umber in color, with the marks of the chisel evident throughout. Look at how the simple carving around the eye socket creates depth, and emphasizes the Lioness’s gaze. It’s a tender gaze, almost melancholy. Calder, like Picasso, was such a master of line, whether in space with his wire sculptures or here, working directly with wood, it is so elemental and fresh. You can see this same playful line in the work of someone like Joan Miró. It just goes to show you that art is always in conversation with itself, right? A beautiful, endless game of give and take, question and response.