18 mysterious works of the brilliant follower of Picasso Joan Miró, around which controversy continues today

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Joan Miró was a versatile artist who excelled not only in painting. He was a ceramist and sculptor. Possessing a unique style of surrealism, vividly reflected in his paintings, he was a proponent of surreal painting and avoided traditional bourgeois methods because the visual elements were not well represented. Some of his works of art were just pictorial signs, and not something specific, highlighting his thinking to the fullest. Pablo Picasso was one of the main inspiring forces behind his paintings and sculptures. And in 1975, a Museum called Fundacio Joan Miro was founded in Barcelona in honor of his work.

1. Portrait of Vincent Nubiola, 1917

Miro painted this painting at the age of twenty-four, and according to some, Van Gogh's influence seems to be noticeable. Vincent Nubiola, a key figure in this work, was professor of agriculture at the School of Fine Arts in Barcelona. Miro met him when he was an art student at the Cercle Artistic de Sant Lluc in Barcelona. In this painting, the protagonist is depicted sitting on a chair next to a table with fruit, a flower in a pot, and porro (a vessel for wine from which one can directly drink wine). The background of the figure of Nubiola depicts abstract symbols of arcs and triangles. Vincent's collared shirt is red, symbolizing his political radicalism. Once acquired by Picasso for a certain period, this portrait became a permanent collection of the Folkwang Museum in Germany.

2. Red Sun, 1948

The theme of abstract expressionism, in which Miro specialized, was noticed in this painting. A large red circle, like the sun, sits against the background of a blue plain, which is a clear sky. Abstract lines and circles are also visible around the shape. It is worth noting that the artist had a special inclination to project various elements of the universe on his canvas, as evidenced by this work.

3. Painting, 1933

Between 1929 and 1938, Joan presented a series of his works through free, confident brush strokes, as well as flat colors and simple shapes. This special work of art, composed of two paintings, was originally part of a series of unique collages derived from catalogs and newspaper clippings depicting car parts and everyday objects.

4. Rooster, seriography

The abundance of colors and abstract images used in this painting give it a unique look, making it one of the most striking and mysterious works.

5. Farm, 1921-1922

This amazing painting was created between the summer and winter of 1921 and 1922, respectively. Primitive realism combined with cubism is what the "Farm" is. A special piece of art summarizes Miro's life in the countryside. Ernest Hemingway, a famous American writer, bought this painting to present to his wife. Mary Hemingway (his fourth wife) donated the piece to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, which still preserves it.

6. Still life with an old shoe, 1937

Still Life with an Old Shoe is one of the artist's strangest and most important paintings, in which he expresses his concern and agony over the situation in Spain, which was completely devastated by the Civil War, which took over her completely. In fact, through the picture, he tries to describe the evil and monstrous forces of war, which completely crippled human life. On the left is an apple pierced by a fork, as well as a shoe. Red, acid yellow and black are the primary colors that dominate the canvas, symbolizing a catastrophic landscape. The circular shapes of the lines on the horizon create a sense of dynamism, while the abstract shapes on the horizon resemble dark clouds predicting the beginning of a tragedy. This work is said to have a striking resemblance to Picasso's Guernica due to the desolation and destructive theme of war depicted in the painting.

7. Triptych Blue I, II, III, 1961

This work of art is a three-part presentation of Miró's abstract oil paintings that depict thoughts passing through his subconscious. The blue color symbolizes the ethereal night, where dreams exist in their pure form, free from the influence of rational and conscious thinking. In "Blue II" there was the use of sparse but even strokes that add a sense of emptiness to the piece. All three paintings are identical to each other in terms of simple lines, matching colors and shapes.

8. Dancer, 1925

"Dancer" Miro is the absolute embodiment of poetry that has merged into a work of art. The canvas was first covered with brown paint, and then, with quick and wide movements, it was smeared with an ultramarine blue layer. However, the end result is that a blue layer dominates the entire painting, while a brown tint appears around the edges. The dancer occupies the right side of the canvas, representing a circle-head, in shades of light and dark. The figure itself is associated with a red heart, the tip of which has genitals attached to it. Straight, continuous lines from top to bottom indicate the direction of the dance. Miro was inspired to do this painting during Christmas in Barcelona when he watched the dancers perform at the Eden concert (bar).

9. Portrait II, 1938

The image drawn here resembles totemic figures, with solid colors applied over large areas. This is another of those pictures through which Miro tries to project his feelings about the evil consequences of the war.

10. Self-portrait, 1937

Using discreet yet rich blacks, brushstrokes, along with a series of vibrant colors, Miro creates his own portrait with distinct features.

11. Women and Birds at Dawn, 1935

After 1945, the use of bright surfaces made Miro popular with the public. And the painting "Women and Birds at Dawn" is a great example of this, because the female figure in the center, presented in a slightly voluptuous form, with small birds fluttering around, creates a magnificent effect that attracts attention.

12. Woman, Bird, Star (tribute to Pablo Picasso), 1966-73

The use of geometric shapes and lines gives this abstract art a meaningful meaning, making this painting truly original and unique in its own way.

13. Moonbird, 1944-1946

Miro has had a strange fascination with sculpture since he was nineteen, and this work is a reflection of his creative genius. He began sculpting miniature bronze statues in 1944, in which case the object's face is moon-shaped, which is reminiscent of some of the artist's works based on the theme of the cosmic world.

14. Woman and Bird, 1963

Standing at a height of 21 meters, this work of art hints at the theme of femininity, where the bird overcomes the female form. The work was originally known as Mushroom Lady with a Mooncap, which justifies the way the figure was presented by wearing a hat with a crescent moon sitting on top. Ceramic tiles in blue, red, green and yellow cover the sculpture. An interesting point is that in February 2014 this work of art was supposed to be put up for auction from 6, 5 to 11, 5 million dollars, but for unknown reasons the lot was removed from the auction.

15. Circus horse, 1927

This piece is part of 7 dream pictures created by Miro, influenced by Paul Klee's narrative geometry and surrealist approach. This painting is a circus with a blue background providing a dance stage for the horse. The ringmaster's yellow whip crosses the canvas, adding to the uniqueness of the painting. One critic once remarked that this unusual painting by Miro makes a magical impression.

16. Ciphers and constellations in love with a woman, 1941

This is one of 23 parts of the Constellation series. This is a pure work of abstraction, where the artist represents a bird, a woman and a star, which are superimposed on each other, creating a special color space. The background in most of the paintings in the series has soft tones. Intersecting black lines show most of the paintings, while prominent features are depicted using primary colors.

17. Singing fish, 1972

In this work, Miro combines abstract forms to represent his artistic imagination. The fish's head is on the left, where two circles were used to represent its eyes. A sense of playfulness and simplicity dominates the artist's painting, and pure color tones can be seen in everything he creates.

18. Rope and People I, 1935

The rope, the center of gravity of this painting, was drawn upright, representing a human figure. And the unique way of presentation makes it look like an elongated body. The rope symbolizes violence, perhaps in this way, Miro portrayed agony, speaking out against the consequences of a terrible war.

Continuing the theme - whose work has turned the consciousness of a person about the beautiful and not only.