Spiral At Bottom 1971

Alexander Calder made this gouache on paper with yellow, red, blue and black. Look at the way Calder stacks up these simple forms, circles that are solid and circles that are rings, ending in a dynamic spiral. The colors are flat and intense, like a kid’s toy. I imagine Calder in his studio, moving these shapes around in his mind, almost as if he were arranging the parts of one of his famous mobiles. What did he want to say with this piece? Maybe he wanted to experiment with the balance of colour and form on a 2D surface. It’s so playful and effortless, but I bet it took a lot of work! That final spiral is killer, like a little flourish. It reminds me that painting is a conversation, always referencing other artworks that came before, while opening up new possibilities.