Peeper 1971

This painting, Peeper, by Alexander Calder, is all about seeing and being seen, rendered with a playful simplicity. The colours are flat and bold—red, blue, and fleshy pinks outlined in black—applied to the paper in such a way that you can imagine Calder’s hand moving freely, almost like he’s sketching in the air. I think of it like Calder took a line for a walk, and it became a hand, fingers outstretched. The black outlines are confident and sure, like he knew exactly what he was doing, while the washes of colour fill the spaces in between, adding depth and volume. There's a humour here, a lightness, that reminds me of the way Calder's contemporary, Joan Miró, worked—using simple forms and bright colours to create a sense of wonder and joy. These artists knew how to have fun while opening up new ways of seeing.