Pyramids and Sun on Target 1973

Editor: This is Alexander Calder’s "Pyramids and Sun on Target" from 1973, painted with acrylics. The shapes are so simple, almost childlike, but the strong colors make it surprisingly bold. How would you interpret this work? Curator: Calder's painting exists within a fascinating cultural moment. Pop Art was challenging established norms, blurring the lines between high and low culture, while geometric abstraction offered a kind of visual purity, and Calder navigates this territory beautifully. It’s interesting to consider how a geometric and simplistic style might suggest a commentary on, or even a simplification of, ancient and culturally loaded forms like pyramids, what do you think? Editor: That makes sense. The pyramids definitely feel less imposing here, almost playful. Curator: Exactly! It removes their weight. The bright, almost cartoonish sun, with its "target," brings forward the influence of pop-art that permeated society at that moment, in posters, political imagery, advertising, and more. Where do you think this painting would best “live”—in a gallery, or perhaps as the visual backdrop of a play or show? Editor: I think it could function well in either scenario because the clean design and strong colors work across many contexts. Curator: Precisely. Calder understood the evolving relationship between art and its audience, pushing for art to be something accessible and engaging in various cultural settings. Considering that context shifts our perspective. Editor: Absolutely! Now I see it less as just simple shapes and more as a clever commentary on how we interact with symbols in a media-saturated world. Curator: Exactly! Considering the context helps understand that there's much more here than meets the eye.