Grid with Cross 1963

This is Alexander Calder's "Grid with Cross", made with ink and watercolour on paper. Look how the black ink bleeds into the orange watercolor washes; it’s not about precision, but about letting the materials do their thing. This feels very Calder to me, very intuitive. The texture is all in the paper, which absorbs the washes and gives a soft, almost fuzzy quality to the edges. There's an energetic, squiggly line right in the centre that feels almost like a body. The looseness reminds me of Joan Miró’s playful abstraction. Both artists let their subconscious guide the mark-making, emphasizing freedom and spontaneity. Art isn't about finding one answer, but about embracing the many possibilities. There’s no one way to see this and it's all about being open to what it evokes in you.