Boulder and Eye 1974

Alexander Calder made this painting, Boulder and Eye, using gouache and ink on paper. It’s a party, right? A rave, or at least a very fun birthday. I imagine the artist was trying to capture something fleeting, like a firework. There’s the quick gesture of the brush in the coloured shapes, and the way the black lines vibrate. You can feel the artist thinking—what if I put this shape here, and this colour there? It’s this kind of playful experimentation that makes a painting sing. I see Calder playing with the line work to create a field of optical vibration. The painting’s boldness can be found elsewhere in the works of artists like Joan Miró. It's all part of this conversation they have, across time, inspiring each other. I love how a painting can be so direct, yet so open to interpretation.