Les Tropiques 1972

Alexander Calder made "Les Tropiques" using paint on paper. It's a flat world of bold shapes, like traffic signals in a sunny dream, you know? I can imagine Calder, like, wrestling with these forms. That big red shape, pushing against that yellow circle. It's like he's making a map of some inner space, marking territories with color. The black outlines keep everything crisp and contained, like leading in stained glass. I wonder if he was thinking about Miro, or maybe even Leger, with those clear lines and simple forms. Painting is a conversation, right? Artists riffing off each other across time. It's interesting to think how Calder, known for his playful mobiles, translates that sense of movement and balance into a static image. A bunch of colored planets frozen for your consideration, suspended in the atmosphere of the painting.