Boulder and Eye 1974

Alexander Calder made this gouache painting called 'Boulder and Eye' sometime around 1974. I love how Calder gives us these graphic, confident strokes, with a palette that feels both bold and playful. You can almost feel the quick, decisive movements he made. It's all about the act of painting, really. Look at how he uses the primary colors – red, yellow, blue – and then juxtaposes them with stripes and this eye. It’s as if the whole world is compressed into these simple shapes and colours. The paint isn’t overworked; it’s laid down with a kind of joyous efficiency. It feels like he’s showing us the basic building blocks of seeing, the very essence of form and color. It feels connected to the playfulness of Joan Miró, who was also interested in simplifying forms, but Calder brings a unique, almost engineering-like approach to abstraction. It’s this blend of simplicity and boldness, precision and spontaneity, that makes his work so engaging.