Nénufar 1974

"Nénufar," was painted by Alexander Calder, in 1974, and it's just delightful. I mean, look at those playful circles! The way he lays down the paint, it’s not about hiding the process. You see every brushstroke, every little wobble. It’s like he’s saying, "Hey, this is how it’s done, folks!" The grey background is almost like a cloudy sky, and these colorful blobs are just floating around, doing their own thing. Check out that big yellow circle up top. It's not perfect; the color's a bit uneven, and the edges are rough, but that's the beauty of it. It's like Calder is reminding us that art doesn't have to be flawless to be good. It’s more about the energy, the feeling, the sheer joy of making something. You can see echoes of Miró or Arp in here but Calder's work is always so unmistakably his own, like having a conversation with an old friend who always knows how to make you smile. It’s a reminder that art is an ongoing conversation, a playful exchange of ideas that never really ends.