RED HORSE AND GREEN SULKY 1926

Alexander Calder made this small sculpture, Red Horse and Green Sulky, with wire, wood, and paint. It is all about the line for me, the implied line of the horse's back, bent like a playground swing set, and the actual, thin wire that brings the whole contraption together. The wood is simple, chunky, like it came from an old toy. Calder knows just how much awkwardness a piece needs. The color is reduced to the bare minimum: a matte red, a sickly green. But this isn’t about naturalism; it’s about a child’s vision of color. I’m thinking of Miró, another artist who understands that the apparent naivety can be the most sophisticated move. And the title, so plain, so matter of fact. It's all there, the red horse, the green sulky. What more do you need?