Soleil rouge et figure noire 1963

Here's Calder, with gouache and ink on paper, making a world. There’s a lot of back and forth in this piece, a real sense of working into the composition. The hand is present in the marks, isn't it? Trial, error, intuition; you can see the movement and adjustments. I wonder what Calder was thinking, playing with these shapes and colours. I like how these forms exist in relation to one another. The black outlines and the red circle create a bold contrast, but there’s also a playful energy, with that happy sun face smiling out. I feel connected to the process of painting as a site of inquiry, where the artist and viewer engage in a conversation through the canvas. Calder's work reminds me how painting embodies expression, embracing ambiguity and allowing for multiple interpretations. We painters are all in conversation, inspiring each other across time.