Romses 1976

Alexander Calder made this gouache painting, Romses, in 1976. I can imagine him in his studio, shifting and arranging these vibrant pyramids on the page, letting them find their place through intuition. What was he thinking as he laid down each color? The red seems so bold, full of confidence, while the blue offers a cool, calming contrast. Look at the texture of the paint—it's smooth, almost watery, which gives the colors a luminous quality. He's also using black lines here and there, particularly around the shapes to help them pop. That black pyramid has a weightiness to it. The dog shape in the bottom left feels whimsical and light. It’s a playful juxtaposition. Calder’s work with mobiles and sculpture makes me think about how he might have been imagining these shapes in motion, even in a static painting. Artists like Calder and Joan Miró are in an ongoing conversation, inspiring each other's creativity across time. Painting, for me, is an embodied expression, and I love how it embraces ambiguity, inviting multiple interpretations.