Red and Blue with Yellow Lips 1944

Alexander Calder made this drawing with ink and gouache. Look how he’s building up the image out of simple, almost cartoon-like lines and flat colors. I find myself wondering about his process – like, did he just let his hand wander and see what emerged? The brown gouache is pretty thin, right? Almost watery, making the figure feel like it's floating on the page. I’m drawn to the mouth – the heavy, waxy yellow gouache feels kind of grotesque, but also playful. See how he uses the repeated line to suggest depth and volume, the black outlines making the form look hollow. And those triangular eye shapes really get to me. For me, this drawing feels like a conversation with Picasso, who used simple lines to create complex emotion. Calder's playfulness reminds us that art isn't about perfection. It's about exploration, about seeing what happens when you let your imagination take the lead.