Red Eagle 1968

Alexander Calder made this painting in 1968, using gouache and ink on paper. Look at that sunny yellow, those pops of red and blue! I imagine Calder in his studio, maybe listening to some jazz, as he lets these shapes and colours play out across the page. That grid must have given him a starting point. He creates zones for these figures to live in, and it also gives him something to push against. The ink drips down, ignoring those neat divisions. And then that eagle – or maybe it’s a phoenix? – right at the top, straddling two whole squares. The thing about a painting like this is it feels like it’s always moving. Calder was so good at making things move, his mobiles are so well known! You can see his genius here, too. It’s like he’s inviting us to play with him. To join the dance. It reminds me of Joan Miro, another artist who just seemed to let his imagination take flight. Painting is like a conversation across time.