The Red Ring 1966

Alexander Calder made "The Red Ring" with paint on paper sometime around 1966. Calder’s got such a breezy way with shapes and color, doesn’t he? Like he's playing. Here, the paint is pretty thin, almost watery, which lets the white of the paper peek through. It's like he's not trying to hide anything, just laying down these bold primary colors like they're floating in space. Look at that swooping black line snaking across the bottom. It’s so simple, but it gives the whole composition a sense of movement, a feeling of things being just slightly off-kilter. You know, it reminds me a bit of Joan Miró's playful spirit, that same joy in the absurd and unexpected. Ultimately, Calder's work, like all great art, is about seeing the world in a new way.