Large Black Face with Sun 1968

This is Alexander Calder’s ‘Large Black Face with Sun’, made sometime in his lifetime with paint on paper. Just look at that bright sun and that big black face! It’s a painting that’s all about contrasts, you know? Red and black, simple shapes, kind of bold. The paint looks fluid, like it moved easily across the page, or maybe it's more like ink. I can imagine Calder, with a brush in hand, just letting the image come out. It reminds me of Picasso's playful side, or Miró's sense of humor—that’s what I’m getting here. It's like he’s saying, "Hey, art doesn't always have to be so serious, so profound." In this painting, Calder speaks to us from the great beyond, reminding us that painting is a language of feeling, of intuition, and of exchange across generations.