Plumbings II 1973

Alexander Calder made this gouache on paper, 'Plumbings II', in 1973, and it's a real symphony of color and line. I can imagine Calder, maybe in his studio, just letting his hand dance across the paper. Look at those bold lines of red, yellow, and blue, snaking around like playful pipes! And the shapes! A clock, a 'notice' sign, and lettered panels that almost feel like little poems. He layers them on top of each other, creating a rhythm, a feeling of movement. It's funny, Calder is known for his mobiles, those delicate balancing acts in space, but here, he's taken that same sense of balance and brought it to a flat surface. There's a lightness, a sense of joy. It reminds me of other artists like Miró or Klee, who were also playing with abstraction and bringing a sense of humor to their work. It makes you feel like you can do it too.