Oignons 1974

Alexander Calder's "Oignons" presents a playful arrangement of shapes and lines, rendered with an economy of means. Primary colours – a bold red rectangle, a crisp blue circle, and a sunny yellow form – punctuate the composition, balanced by organic black shapes. The title suggests the forms are onions, but it teases our expectations. Calder's visual language here feels like a coded alphabet. The composition is carefully constructed yet maintains a sense of spontaneity. Each element seems to float freely, held in tension by the artist's deliberate placement. This work echoes surrealist automatism, where the subconscious guides the hand, resulting in forms that defy fixed interpretations. The black lines dance across the surface, suggesting movement and depth. These lines and shapes act as signs, prompting us to decode their potential meanings, yet resisting any definitive reading. It’s this quality of playful ambiguity that invites us to engage with the artwork, and question our assumptions about representation.