Cog Wheels 1971

Alexander Calder created these lively 'Cog Wheels' using gouache paint and brushstrokes that seem both deliberate and playful. The painting feels like a joyous experiment in colour and form. I wonder if he felt like a kid again, splashing paint on paper, when he made this, so caught up in the moment? The shapes, like simplified gears or flower blooms, are outlined in black, filled in with bold colours – red, yellow, and blue – which create a lively rhythm across the surface. The flat, matte surface of the paint gives the image a graphic quality, almost like a screen print, but with the charming irregularities of hand-painted marks. The interaction of shapes and colors feels like a visual dance, echoing the movement inherent in his mobiles. It reminds me that artists, like Calder, are always playing, always experimenting. Their work is a testament to the idea that art is not about answers but about the questions we ask and the new possibilities we discover through making.