MEN PERSUADING ELEPHANT 1931

Alexander Calder made this drawing with ink on paper, and it’s a real gem because you can see right into his process. Look at how the lines wobble and dance, especially around the elephant’s form. It’s like he’s feeling his way around the shape, not trying to nail it down perfectly, but letting it breathe and shift. There’s something so playful and immediate about it. The figures are so spare, with these spindly limbs and outstretched arms, and the elephant feels monumental yet light, like a balloon. I find myself thinking about how David Hockney uses line in his drawings. Both artists share this incredible lightness of touch, a sense of humor, and a real love for the act of drawing itself. Art's like one big conversation. Calder’s drawing is not about a fixed idea but about embracing the open-ended possibilities of a line on paper.