Oignon et Navets 1965

Alexander Calder made this painting, titled "Oignon et Navets," with gouache on paper. The palette is classic Calder: bold, primary colors popping against a white ground. I love the immediacy of it! You can almost see Calder’s hand moving, swirling, placing those confident strokes of blue and black, that big swoosh of red. What was he thinking, I wonder, arranging these biomorphic shapes? Was he thinking about the vegetables named in the title? Or just riffing, improvising, like a jazz musician with a brush? The paint is laid down flat and thin, no fuss, just pure color and form. It’s like he’s saying, "Here it is, take it or leave it." I admire that directness. It reminds me a little of Miró, that playful, surrealist sensibility. It's like the way one artist can spark another. Painting is such an ongoing conversation across time.