Composition in Black 1946

Alexander Calder made this 'Composition in Black' with paint on paper, and it’s so immediate, so confident in its simplicity. It's like he’s playing with the most basic elements of art-making: black and white, line and shape. The painting's all about flatness. The shapes are solid and graphic, like cut-outs pasted onto the surface. Look at the sun, a big black circle with wiggly rays shooting out, and how it contrasts with the figures. There's something primal about them. The figure on the right is almost bird-like with its beak and the way it stands, or maybe it's a playful nod to Picasso, who was also playing with deconstruction and form. Calder was, of course, most famous for his mobiles, and you see that sensibility here too. The whole composition feels like a balancing act, a playful arrangement of forms in space. I love that. Art shouldn’t take itself too seriously. It’s about exploration, movement, and finding that sweet spot where simplicity becomes profound.