Red Faced Moon 1973

This gouache on paper of a red-faced moon, was born from the hand and imagination of Alexander Calder sometime around 1973. Just look at that juicy yellow backdrop, the bright red face with its black outlines, and the cartoonish jagged teeth – it's pure Calder, like a circus performer winking at you from another dimension. I can imagine Calder, playful as ever, letting his hand dance across the paper, not worrying too much about precision. He's got this wonderful, childlike approach, reminiscent of Miró, but with a definite Calder twist. The surface is so flat, the paint is so unapologetically itself, no illusions, just pure color and form. It is a conversation across time and space, each artist inspiring and challenging the other. It reminds me that painting is all about embracing the unexpected and letting the colors sing.