Les petits poissons rouges... les petits pois sont verts... 1960

Yves Laloy made this piece, "Les petits poissons rouges... les petits pois sont verts...", with paint and probably some very fine brushes to render its clean lines and whimsical geometries. The flat planes of color make me think about printmaking – there's an evenness and consistency to the paint that almost looks like ink. Look how the shapes combine; the fishes form the features of faces, and the bright palette gives the piece a playful feel. The fish-eyes staring out at us suggest an awareness that is both humorous and maybe a little menacing. The title, scrawled beneath the images, adds another layer, confounding meaning through visual and linguistic puns. The artist Paul Klee comes to mind; both artists share a love of line, colour, and a somewhat surreal sense of humour. Ultimately, it's this ambiguity that I find so compelling – the sense that the work invites multiple readings, and allows for humor to coexist with the slightly dark edge.