Construction 1970

Alexander Calder made this playful gouache on paper, Construction, and signed it off in ‘70. It’s a riot of shapes and colors, reminiscent of a circus big top or a jazzy dance across the canvas. You can really feel Calder figuring it out as he goes, a little like improvising in real time. The colors, mostly primaries, are laid down with a casual confidence. They’re not trying to be perfect, and that's what makes them so alive. Look at how the black strokes aren’t always clean, the paint’s a little drippy and uneven, which gives the piece so much character. There's this one little red dot sitting alone in the yellow that pulls the whole image together. It is like a button holding everything in place. It feels related to Joan Miró's work, in the way it dances between abstraction and representation, but Calder’s got his own quirky energy. This piece isn’t about answers; it’s more about asking, “What if?” and then just going for it.