Joan Miró
The uncompromising Catalan Surrealist (The Bus 6.5)
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ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED (1.36) 8 AUGUST 2022
The Stop
Joan Miró (1893-1983) was a Catalan painter born in Barcelona. His father was a watchmaker and his mother was a goldsmith; their combined artistic background strongly influenced their son. His work - a rich variety of lithographs, landscapes, portraits, and nudes through which Miró explored the ‘rhythmic interplay of volumes and areas of colour’ - was strongly influenced by Barcelona and the area’s ‘distinct style.’ Early in his career, he attempted to ‘portray nature as it would be depicted by a child equipped with the intelligence of an adult.’ Over time, his mature style emerged from the ‘tension’ between this ‘fanciful, poetic impulse’ and the ‘harshness of modern life.’1
Following a period in business school, as a teenager Miró worked for two years as a clerk - until he experienced a mental breakdown related in no small part to a ‘serious battle with typhoid.’ While recovering, his parents allowed the then eighteen-year-old to attend art school in Barcelona where he was taught to ‘touch the objects he was about to draw’ - a process that forever influenced his appreciation of spatial qualities. At school he was exposed to the latest trends in modern art, including the work of Antoni Gaudi.2 In 1918 he had his first solo exhibition in Barcelona and the following year traveled to Paris.
In the mid-1920s, Miró fell under the influence of the Surrealists, painting ‘dream pictures’ and ‘imaginary landscapes’ in which ‘linear configurations and patches of colour’ appear painted at random, and humans and animals (such as in The Policeman (1925)) are shown as ‘indeterminate forms.’ By this time a dedicated Surrealist,3 he was respected for his portrayal of the ‘realm of unconscious experience’ and was called by André Breton4 the ‘most Surrealist of us all.’ During both the Spanish Civil War and World War II, Miró lived in Paris and his work - influenced by the turmoil - shows ‘demonic expressiveness’ reflecting his ‘fears and horrors.’
In the years following WWII, Miró became internationally famous, with his sculptures, drawings, and paintings exhibited in many countries. He received numerous high-profile commissions and awards throughout the art world, but despite his fame Miró devoted himself ‘exclusively’ to his art. His late period, showing a ‘simplification of figure and background,’ reveals an artist who’s earlier work of ‘whimsical or aggressive irony’ evolved into a ‘quasi-religious meditation’ - largely due to his continual interest in symbolism and the ‘message that was being portrayed, as opposed to the actual image.’
The Detour
Today’s Detour is to a short article from History Today discussing the history of swear words - in particular the idea that while such words have been constant throughout history, those found offensive - or not - have changed. Given the topic, there are a few rude and offensive words discussed - but I love this type of history.
Explicit Content (History Today)
The Recommendation
Because of today’s Stop, I thought Kassia St Clair’s The Secret Lives of Colour would be an excellent - and appropriate - choice.
From the back: The Secret Lives of Colour tells the unusual stories of the 75 most fascinating shades, dyes and hues. From blonde to ginger, the brown that changed the way battles were fought to the white that protected people against the plague, Picasso’s blue period to the charcoal on the cave walls of Lascaux, acid yellow to kelly green, and from scarlet women to imperial purple, these surprising stories run like a bright thread throughout history. In this book Kassia St Clair has turned her lifelong obsession with colours and where they come from (whether Van Gogh’s chrome yellow sunflowers or punk’s fluorescent pink) into a unique study of human civilisation. Across fashion and politics, art and war, The Secret Lives of Colour tell the vivid story of our culture.
The Guardian: The secret history of colour in black and white
The Sounds
In the ever-evolving experimental spirit of Miró, today’s playlist is composed of five avant-garde/experimental tracks from artists I’ve found myself listening to now and again when in a specific mood: John Cage’s ‘In a Landscape’ (1948), ‘Koyaanisqatsi’ by Philip Glass (1982), ‘2/2’ by Brian Eno (1978), Ornette Coleman’s ‘Rubber Gloves’ (1971) and ‘Installation No1’ by Einstürzende Neubauten (1996). All of these artists pushed (or continue to push) the boundaries of music and while not to everyone’s taste - I listen to them in small doses - you’ll never listen to any music the same way again.
The Thought
Today’s Thought is a quote from the Swiss-German artist Paul Klee (1879-1940):5
“A line is a dot that went for a walk.”
If you have a thought on this Thought - or any part of today’s issue - please leave a comment below:
And that’s the end of this stop - I hope you enjoyed a brief diversion from your regular journey!
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Until the next stop …
Sources for today’s Stop include: Raillard, Georges. Miró: The Masterworks. London: Bracken Books, 1989, Joan Miró (Tate), Joan Miró and Joan Miró (Britannica) For an artist with so long a life and an involvement with so many styles, Miró is too complicated to be covered in a single issue. There is also contradictory information about his life - especially his childhood, his evidently disapproving parents and his connection to the Surrealists. For further information, I recommend the Raillard book. It’s a great resource - and, at the very least, a gorgeous book we’re happy to have out on the coffee table. Also, if you’re in Barcelona the Fundació Joan Miró museum (one of my favourites) is a no-brainer.
Gaudi is another of Barcelona’s most famous artists and architects - his influence is all over the city, not least in the still-unfinished cathedral the Sagrada Familia. See: Antoni Gaudi
There is debate as to whether Miró was truly a Surrealist. Nevertheless, though he retained a very specific style that varied in many ways from other Surrealists, it is agreed he was strongly influenced by this movement. Surrealism will be a future Stop, but for more information in the meantime see: Surrealism
Poet, essayist and critic, Breton is perhaps best known as being a founder and chief promoter of the Surrealist movement. See: André Breton