Theate 1976

This gouache painting by Alexander Calder presents abstract shapes and primary colors on paper. Gouache is great, you know, it dries so fast, it forces you to be spontaneous. Look at how he uses the bold colors—red, yellow, blue—and the heavy outlines to create these playful forms. The surface is flat, very matter-of-fact, no attempt to blend or create depth. He just lays the colors down, letting the shapes do the talking. My eye keeps going back to the quirky spiral at the right—it's like a staring eye, looping in on itself, full of simple curiosity. Calder is probably best known for his mobiles, but this painting shares that same spirit of lightness and movement, even if it’s fixed on the page. It reminds me a little of Joan Miró’s playful language. Both artists transform simple shapes into something joyful and energetic. Art is an ongoing conversation—always in motion, just like Calder's mobiles, so just let the artwork move you.