Boxed 1965

Alexander Calder made this untitled gouache, circa 1965, and it's like looking at a page from a notebook – a playful arrangement of shapes doing a little dance on a grid. The color palette is simple; vibrant reds, yellows, and blues pop against the stark white, like Calder dipped his brush in pure joy. You can practically feel the handmade quality, the gentle bleed of the watercolor on the paper is so present. There's a real sense of improvisation, maybe even chance, in how these shapes are placed, echoing the freedom and spontaneity of his mobiles. I am drawn to the playful, calligraphic lines that end in little red droplets along the bottom edge. It's as if the shapes are about to float off the page, just like the elements in his sculptures float in the air. Thinking of Joan Miró, the work shares that same sense of childlike wonder and an embrace of the absurd. It’s a reminder that art can be both serious and seriously fun, and sometimes, the simplest forms can say the most.