Pluie en Islande 1965

Curator: Oh, what a delightful surprise! Calder's "Pluie en Islande," created in 1965. A playful title, no? Especially juxtaposed with these stark figures below. Editor: My first impression is… melancholy, but whimsical? Like a rainy day parade of silhouettes, the rain falling on paper cutouts dancing beneath. The way those watercolors bleed is both charming and sad. Curator: I find that such a perceptive reading. "Pluie en Islande" showcases how Calder used watercolor to translate his kinetic sculpture's essence onto a two-dimensional plane. The falling lines echo his mobiles, a symphony of controlled drips rather than moving forms. The figures feel very much influenced by some primitive figuration traditions, don't you think? Editor: Absolutely. These dark forms definitely seem less about precise portraiture and more about universal human gestures, like figures in a shadow play, grappling with the elements. And look at the limited color palette: that stormy blue overhead and the warm, rusty-red raindrops! It creates such an expressive dynamic. Does Iceland symbolize something here, I wonder? Curator: That's always the fun part, isn’t it? Contextually, Calder travelled extensively, including Iceland, I'd speculate it may serve as a touchpoint or memory imprint. He observed those spaces from a very keen aesthetic perspective, filtered into abstracted form, imbued with that iconic Calder sense of play. Perhaps it's less about literal Iceland, more about evoking a mood and climate through basic shapes. Editor: It reminds me that even something seemingly chaotic, like a rainstorm, can have rhythm and order, something intentional and man-made even... And those small silhouettes are grounded even by the blue elements "unleashed" by Calder at the very top. Almost a comfort there. Curator: Comfort indeed. Calder often bridged high art with an almost childlike approach, making you believe creativity doesn’t need stuffiness. Editor: Precisely. It leaves you pondering the tension between raw emotion and careful crafting. It’s definitely an invitation into his world of wonder.