Onion With a Red Dot 1972

Alexander Calder, known for his playful mobiles, made this gouache painting called "Onion With a Red Dot" sometime during his career, using gouache on paper. Looking at those bold lines and vivid dots, I can imagine Calder in his studio, maybe listening to jazz, just letting the colors flow. It's almost like he's conducting a visual symphony. There's that central form, like an onion, with those looping lines of black, yellow, red, and blue—like a roadmap of feelings. And those dots! Red, blue, black – they’re scattered across the surface, dancing and vibrating with energy. Each one feels deliberate, but also spontaneous. Calder’s gouaches are like cousins to his sculptures. It's all about balance and movement, taking something ordinary and turning it into something extraordinary. I’m sure he was in dialogue with artists like Miró and Arp who worked with a similar visual language. Artists build on each other, right? We're all part of one big, messy conversation. What do you think?