Joan Miro

Joan Miro 1893-1983

 “An eternal child mirroring our earliest dreams to the disenchanted adults we have become.”

–      Bruno Racine

Joan Miro was born in Barcelona, Spain in 1893. Beginning at a young age, Miro was captivated by the arts. He spent much of his childhood drawing the scenes of Mallorca—an island in the Mediterranean Sea—where he felt a deep connection with the land. Drawing was his way of freeing himself from the pain of his loneliness. His parents were not close with him, and he did not receive much attention from anyone else either. He studied art at the La Llotija, and was heavily involved with the Dada and Surrealism movements. Critics did not receive Miro’s first exhibition at the Galeries Dalmau in 1918 warmly; however, Miro continued to embrace his unique style and “follow his stars” to become one of the most influential artists of his time.  

1949 - etching with color

As a representative of Surrealism, Miro developed and often used the automatic drawing technique which counter acted the traditional techniques artists were expected to follow at that time. Automatic drawing is a way of freeing the subconscious into a tangible form, and Miro often let his mind spill out on to the page without any reservations. 

The Farm - 1921(oil on canvas)
Miro moved to Paris where he gained prominence as a respected artist. His work was compared to poetry by the American writer Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway purchased this painting of Miro's parent's farm in Montroig, Barcelona, and said this of it: "It has in it all that you feel about Spain when you are there and all that you feel when you are away and cannot go there. No one else has been able to pain these two very opposite things." Miro possessed an invaluable gift of being able to connect with people by accessing their inner desires through his honest and sentimental work.

Pit Sawyer

I have always loved Miro’s work. The bright colors and his child-like character drew me in at a young age, and still continue to fascinate me. Miro was an individual thinker who followed his heart and never let go of his childhood dreams. The playfulness of his art is captivating, and always seems to make me happy.

“Joan Miro stands looking towards a point of light that nobody sees; he does see it and deciphers it; it is the marrow of the world, the peachstone that contains the luminous ultimate essence of life.” –Camilo Hose Cela

Tumbler with Guitar - Painting

SOURCES

Serra, Pere. Miro and Mallorca. New York: Rizzoli International Publications, 1984.

Lanchner, Carolyn. Joan Miro. The Museum of Modern Art. New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 1993.

De La Beaumelle, Agnes. Joan Miro. London: Paul Holberton Publishing, 2004.