Form against Yellow (Yellow Panel) 1936

Alexander Calder made this construction, Form against Yellow (Yellow Panel), with paint and metal and a little bit of string, no date. What's immediately striking to me is the combination of painting and sculpture. The yellow panel provides this flat, high-key background, which is kind of acidic. The red shape floating in front of it feels like a playful interruption. Look at the way the red is applied; it’s matte and feels really immediate. You can imagine Calder just slapping it on there, not trying to blend or finesse it too much. I love that little pop of blue tucked in there. The metal pieces attached to the red shape almost look like a tongue or a beak. It gives the piece a sense of humor, like it’s winking at you. The whole thing has this lightness and airiness that I associate with Calder’s work, even though it’s not actually moving. Like a Miró painting, it feels buoyant, as if the forms are dancing on the canvas. Artists like Elizabeth Murray come to mind, who similarly played with shape and form in a non-representational way. What did it all mean? Who knows... and that's the fun part.