MIRÓ, TAMAYO, AND JEANNERET 1949

Alexander Calder made this painting on canvas. The faces are built from simple shapes and solid colors, which for me speaks to the process of seeing and abstracting that is so important in painting. The painting has a rough, almost crude, quality. The paint looks like it’s been applied quickly, with visible brushstrokes that create a sense of immediacy and directness. There’s something incredibly bold about the way Calder uses color here. The black nose on the central figure is a great example of this. It's such a simple, flat shape, but it immediately gives the figure a strong presence. Calder was, of course, well known for his mobiles, and I can see a connection between the way he balances shapes and colors in his sculptures and the way he composes this painting. There’s a playful quality to both his sculptures and paintings that I find really appealing. The boldness of the forms remind me of Guston’s figurative work. Ultimately, this piece reminds us that art is always an ongoing conversation, full of echoes and connections across time.