Construction with Orbs 1970

Alexander Calder made this gouache painting, Construction with Orbs, using bold shapes and a primary color palette. It looks like the kind of painting that just tumbles out, like a kid's game. I can imagine Calder in his studio, pushing and pulling these shapes around, trying to get them just so. There’s a real sense of play here, like he’s juggling forms in space. The paint isn't fussy or overworked, it's all about getting the color down and moving on. Those floating orbs are very interesting. The red and yellow feel so joyful and alive to me. The black is kind of like a counterpoint, like a shadow that makes the other colors pop even more. It reminds me a little bit of Miró, but with a more American, can-do attitude, like let’s just make it work! You can sense Calder's background in engineering. Each artwork feels like an experiment!