The Waves ‘Les Vagues’ 1974

Here we have ‘Les Vagues’ or ‘The Waves’ by Alexander Calder, who made this using gouache, probably sometime in the mid-20th Century. The red and blue shapes, so simple and bold, are outlined in black, which gives a graphic feel, almost like a Matisse cut-out. But look closely, and you’ll see it’s not flat colour. The red, especially, has these streaks and variations in tone, like he was building it up, bit by bit. It’s like seeing Calder's process right there on the surface, not hidden at all. The red wave is bigger, almost like it's eating up all the space, while the blue one ducks underneath. Maybe it's about scale or even power, the way one shape dominates another. I’m put in mind of Joan Miro who had the same knack for turning simple forms into big feelings. It reminds us that art isn't just about what you see, but how it makes you feel.