Spiral with Pumpkin 1972

Alexander Calder painted "Spiral with Pumpkin" sometime in his life, we don't know exactly when, and I imagine that it was made with gouache in one sitting. Look at the big spiral dominating the top half of the composition—it's as if Calder started there, swirling reds and blues in a hypnotic dance. I wonder if he felt a bit dizzy making it? Below, triangles and circles bounce around in a playful way. The 'pumpkin' itself is more like a basketball, hovering in a field of yellow and blue, looking like it's ready to be dunked. There’s a lightness to it, a sense of humor that makes me think of Joan Miró and his playful approach to abstraction. These artists are all in conversation. I see each mark as a thought, a feeling, a joke, and an invitation to imagine.