UNTITLED 1966

This untitled work by Alexander Calder, made in 1964, seems to have been created with ink on paper in one big whoosh! It's got this spontaneous feel, like a jazzy improvisation. Look at the blues and reds, how they bleed and drip, and the thin, spidery lines forming these bird-like figures. I can imagine Calder, maybe listening to some upbeat music, letting his hand dance across the page, not overthinking it. You know, just feeling the ink flow and seeing what emerges. The way the colors aren't contained, they spread out—it's like he's capturing a fleeting moment, a quick impression of movement and life. I’m sure he was an expert juggler. There’s something so playful and free about this piece. It reminds me a little of Miró, with that same sense of childlike wonder and delight in simple forms. Calder’s not trying to represent anything perfectly; instead, he's conjuring up a whole world with just a few strokes of the brush. That tilted bird is just the best! It all speaks to how artists are in an ongoing conversation, inspiring each other to find new ways of seeing and expressing themselves.