Inca 1972

Alexander Calder made 'Inca' with paint on paper. The vivid palette of reds, yellows, and blacks is so full of life. I can just imagine him in the studio, brush in hand, letting the shapes emerge with an intuitive freedom. It’s almost like Calder's channeling a childlike energy, simplifying forms into these elemental shapes. The black lines arching over the red orb remind me of a sun rising over the horizon. They are like rays of light, yet also kind of spikey! His paintings have this quirky, raw quality, and I wonder what painters like Joan Miró would have made of them. It's so nice to see artists riffing off each other's ideas! Calder's work reminds us that painting is really just an ongoing conversation, each artist adding their own voice to the mix. It's loose, a bit weird, and totally alive.