Emerging Globes 1971

Alexander Calder made this painting, Emerging Globes, with gouache in 1971. It’s all playful colour and simple form. The grounds feel almost like a stage for these bold shapes. I'm imagining Calder in his studio, pushing these colours around, trying out different combinations. He starts with the horizon line. The blobs of colour, a black pool down below, then a red giant, dwarfing a blue and smaller red hovering above. It’s a bit like a solar system, but in Calder’s world, it is as though he’s not just depicting the cosmos but making his own. The paint is applied thinly, and the white of the paper peeks through, creating a sense of lightness, so it's not overworked. You can almost feel the brushstrokes, each one carrying intention. It's not just abstract, it’s like a dance of colour and form, similar to Miró, maybe, or even Matisse. I like to think of all these artists just riffing off each other, each one trying to make their mark on the world. Painting is a form of expression, and in the best paintings, the ambiguity allows for endless interpretations.