Untitled 1953

This ‘Untitled’ painting was made by Alexander Calder in 1953, using gouache and ink on paper. The dominant palette is red, yellow, and black. The red is applied thinly, in broad washes, while the black ink creates bold, gestural marks. When I look at this, I imagine Calder working quickly, intuitively, letting the ink flow across the page, almost like a dance. There's a sense of freedom in the way the shapes are formed, the squiggles and curves. The texture of the paper must have absorbed the gouache, allowing the colors to bleed and blend in unpredictable ways. I’m drawn to the way these marks seem to float and interact, as if engaged in a playful conversation. The way the black ink contrasts with the red gouache gives the painting a striking, graphic quality. It reminds me a little of Joan Miro's playful abstraction, but with a distinctly Calder-esque sense of movement and lightness. Artists are always in conversation with each other, across time and space. I can see how Calder’s approach to painting is embodied, embracing ambiguity and allowing for multiple interpretations.