Across the Orange Moons 1967

Alexander Calder made this painting, "Across the Orange Moons," in 1967. Right away you notice how simple and direct the shapes are; it’s all circles, triangles, lines, and the tension between the black and the white. I'm thinking about the black bars slashed across the moons, and how they sit on the surface of the image, and the ways the orange and yellow areas are built up, like gentle stains on the canvas. They’re not trying to trick you into thinking they're anything other than what they are, just simple shapes on a flat plane. There’s one broad stroke cutting through the yellow moon, and it’s so immediate, so nonchalant; I can almost see him standing there, making a single, confident gesture. Calder's simplicity reminds me a bit of Joan Miró, especially in the way he balances playfulness with a serious consideration of form. Both artists let their work breathe and allow space for us to interpret. Art isn’t about answers, it’s about the ongoing conversation.