Shapes with Butterfly c. 1967

Alexander Calder made this painting, Shapes with Butterfly, with gouache and ink on paper. It’s all about shapes, isn’t it? I mean, a yellow circle sits near the top, contrasting with an ornate, black spiral. It’s a simple composition in a way, but the shapes are just so playful. The red, black, and white really pop against the ground of the paper. It's intriguing how the edges of some of the shapes are so clean and solid, while others have these sort of brushy, almost scribbled edges. Like around the big black circle on the right, those soft marks add a whole other layer, making it feel almost like it’s in motion. Calder’s famous for his mobiles, but this painting reminds me of the work of Joan Miro, particularly the bright colours and floating forms. It's like they're having a conversation across time and space, each bringing their own unique voice to the language of abstraction.