Clustered Orbs 1974

Alexander Calder made this painting, "Clustered Orbs," with paint on paper. I see the artist experimenting with a loose, playful arrangement of floating circles, contrasted against the red and yellow background, like a solar system. I can imagine Calder in his studio, casually brushing on these shapes with a large brush, letting the colors bleed into each other a little, embracing the imperfections. The black outlines that surround the white orbs make them pop, giving the painting a graphic, almost cartoonish feel. I get a sense of spontaneity here. Calder's probably thinking about movement and space, translating the energy of his mobiles onto a flat surface. It reminds me a bit of Miró, with that same lighthearted, whimsical approach. It is all one big conversation that artists are having with each other, through the ages.