Yellow Tights 1945

Alexander Calder made this funny character, Yellow Tights, with ink and gouache, though when, I'm not so sure. You know, there's something about this colour palette that's got me hooked - those blocks of solid blue, red, and yellow are kind of singing to one another. When I look at the way Calder draws, I'm reminded that painting is as much about thinking as it is about feeling. I bet he was in a playful mood when he made this, scribbling with ink to map out the contours of this figure. It's like he's saying, "Here's a drawing, but it's also kind of a sculpture!"—referencing his mobiles and wire sculptures. Think of Calder and Picasso, or even Miro, they all had this way of making art feel immediate and intuitive. They're constantly in conversation with one another, riffing off ideas, and pushing boundaries, creating their own visual languages.