CLOWN WITH HOOP 1931

Alexander Calder made this line drawing, Clown With Hoop, with ink on paper, sometime during his career. It's so simple, right? But that’s its strength. It’s all about the line, how it moves and suggests form and space. It’s not trying to be realistic, it's more like a diagram of a feeling. I love how Calder uses a single, continuous line to define shapes – look at the hoop or the clown’s limbs. It’s playful and direct, but there's also a real skill in knowing where to start and stop, what to emphasize and what to leave out. The line describing the hill that sweeps across the lower half of the image is the most economical and expressive mark. It reminds me a little of Joan Miró, another artist who found so much with simple lines. But where Miró’s lines are more abstract, Calder’s retain a sense of figuration, like a memory of something real. Art isn't about answers, but about opening up questions and possibilities.