UNTITLED (ROOSTER) 1925

Alexander Calder made this lovely ‘Untitled (Rooster)’ with ink on cardboard – imagine the quickness of the hand, the sureness of the line. You know, I bet Calder wasn’t even thinking about roosters, but just letting his hand run, feeling the cardboard’s texture. Then suddenly, bam! It’s a rooster, strutting its stuff. It's like, how do these things emerge? It reminds me a bit of Matisse’s cut-outs, that same sense of playful discovery. Look at that one swooping line that forms the rooster’s body – it’s so confident, so alive. I always think about artists like Calder chatting across time with other artists; a real exchange of ideas. Each one inspires the next one's crazy imagination, keeping the conversation going.