before we visited the fundació joan miró during our recent trip to barcelona, spain, i would have described joan miró (1893-1983) as a surrealist artist. although he was influenced by and influenced fauvist, cubist, surrealist, abstract expressionist, and color field artists, his work really shouldn’t be attributed to one art movement.
‘i have no interest whatsoever in any school or any artist.
i am only interested in the anonymous,
in the result of the unconscious effort of the masses.’
-joan miró (1893-1983)
instead, miró developed his own visual language.
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joan miró (1893-1983) | morning star | from the constellation series | gouache, oil and pastel on paper | 1940
the 23 works from miró’s constellation series (1940-1941), which were exhibited in new york in 1945, influenced american post-war art
‘to me, conquering freedom means conquering simplicity.
at the very limit,
then, one line, one color can make a painting.’
-joan miró (1893-1983)
joan miró (1893-1983) | painting on a white background for the cell of a recluse I, II, III | acrylic on canvas | 1968
photo credits lisa walsh | innerspace
joan miró (1893-1983) | the hope of a condemned man I, II, III | acrylic on canvas | 1974
photo credits lisa walsh | innerspace
joan miró (1893-1983) | rejected model for the mosaic of pla de l’os | ink, crayon, and etching on paper | 1976
joan miró (1893-1983) | mosaic of pla de l’os | la rambla | barcelona, spain | 1976
photo credits lisa walsh | innerspace
miró spoke not only of painting, but also of anti-painting, which challenged artistic concepts and conventions by deconstructing the process and the painting.
‘i want to assasinate painting.’
-joan miró (1927)
joan miró (1893-1983) | burnt canvas 5 | acrylic on canvas, later torn and burnt | 1973
photo credits lisa walsh | innerspace
joan miró (1893-1983) | burnt canvas 5 and burnt canvas 4 | acrylic on canvas, later torn and burnt | 1973
joan miró: the ladder of escape | tate modern museum | london, united kingdom | 14 april-11 septermber 2011
photo credit andrew dunkley/tate photography via the guardian
joan miró (1893-1983) | may | acrylic and oil on canvas | 1973
photo credits lisa walsh | innerspace
joan miró (1893-1983) | fireworks I, II, III | acrylic on canvas | 1974
photo credits lisa walsh | innerspace
do you prefer miró’s work inspired by abstract expressionism?
or, miró’s work that inspired abstract expressionism?