Whimsical lines & playful shapes The Studiowith with Joan Miró ART HIST RY KIDS

WEEK 2 Quote to ponder

“When I stand before a canvas, I never know what I'll do, and I am the first one surprised at what comes out.” –Joan Miró

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LET’S MEET THE ARTIST Joan Miró i Ferrà April 20, 1893 – December 25, 1983 Joan Miro was playful, yet thoughtful. He was a dreamer and a thinker. Some artists spend a lifetime perfecting one style or approach, Miro spent his life exploring new ways to create art– always in search of innovation and looking to discover the next thing that would inspire his art to change and evolve.

Miro was from the Catalan region of Spain, and from a very young age, he loved art. He kept a nature journal beginning at age 8, and in school his teachers were supportive of his artistic ambitions.

But unfortunately, his father was not. Miro’s father wanted him to go into business, and for a while Miro did... but this life did not agree with him, and after © Arxiu Planas suffering a nervous breakdown, Miro left business to pursue a life in art. “You must always plant your feet He traveled to France, and made friends with some firmly on the ground if you want amazing artists from that time. He tried out different styles, and made art that was both personal, and to jump into the air. The fact sometimes political– creating activist art during the that I come down to Earth from Spanish Civil War. time to time makes it possible to Miro was devoted to his art, but he was more devot- ed to his wife and daughter. Those who knew him jump all the higher.” described him as respectful, generous, sensitive, kind, and friendly. You can see these traits in his art. –Joan Miró

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ART MOVEMENTS

Surrealism 1924-1966

During his long career as an artist, Miro explored several different art movements. Cubism, Dada, Expressionism, and Fauvism can all be seen as influencing his work. The movement he’s most closely associated with is Surrealism.

Surrealism was an art movement that was all about imagination and the artists subconscious. Artists worked to get into a kind of dream state before they created. Instead of planning their work, they worked intuitively. In addition to surrealist painters, the art movement was also popular among writers. Surrealist art doesn’t always make sense, and it’s not supposed to. The purpose is to express the inner thoughts of the artist and allow the viewer to explore all of the possible meanings. More Surrealist Painters...

(1904-1989) (1917-2011) (1898-1967)

Salvador Dalí Leonora Carrington René Magritte

The Persistence of Memory, 1931 Self-Portrait (Inn of the Dawn Horse), 1937-38 The Son of Man, 1964

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WHAT IS AUTOMATISM? Intentionally detaching from thoughts Surrealist artists did not sketch or plan their art. But they did prepare their minds for creativity.

Using a creative process called Automatism, Surrealists created art in an ‘automatic’ way... allowing their art to flow directly from their inner thoughts (sometimes thoughts they weren’t even aware of) onto their canvas. This term comes from psychology. We all do certain things automatically– like breathing, for example. Artists took this idea to a new level as a way of approaching art, and they found it really inspir- ing and freeing! In addition to the Surrealists, Abstract Expressionists and Post-Modern artists also use this technique.

Here's how André Breton (who founded the Surrealist movement) defined Surrealism:

‘Pure psychic automatism ... the dictation of thought in the André absence of all control exercised by reason and outside all Breton moral or aesthetic concerns.’

Miro would meditate to clear his mind of conscious thoughts and prepare himself for this kind of art exploration.

You can try it too! Instead of meditation, you may spend a few minutes with a pencil and paper, just drawing whatever comes. It can be scribbles, or it can be random images that appear in your mind. You don’t need to organize them or make sense of them.

Or you can play a word game called ‘free association’ with words or images. If you have someone to participate with you, toss words out to each other and then say another word that immediately comes to mind. Or flip through a magazine or picture book and each time you see an image, shout out the next image or idea that appears in your mind as a result.

Using automatism in your art can be fun and lighthearted, or it can be deep and intense. Try it out and see how the process works for you!

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ELEMENTS AND PRINCIPLES Color Miro said: “I try to apply colors like words that shape poems, like notes that shape music.” Miro was always inspired by poetry and he often spoke about the similarities between painting and poetry. Take another look at the way Miro uses colors in his art. Is it poetic? Make some notes (or doodles) about your observations. How does Miro use color? What colors does he use the most? How does his use of color impact his work?

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ELEMENTS AND PRINCIPLES Line Miro said: “A simple line painted with the brush can lead to freedom and happiness.” Take a look at the lines Miro uses in his art. How would you describe his use of line? Do you notice a signature style of line-work throughout the different works of art? Make a few notes (or doodles) on this page about the line-work in Miro’s art and how the visual impact of this style.

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ELEMENTS AND PRINCIPLES Shape Miro’s grandson said this about his grandfather and his need for creativity and art: “It was something that came from inside from his soul, from his spirit... he had no choice.” Looking at the shapes Miro uses in his art, what can you tell about the kind of artist he was? Does he use shapes in a structured way? How would you describe the shapes you see? Make notes (or doodles) here to express your ideas and observations.

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ELEMENTS AND PRINCIPLES Balance You might find this hard to believe, but Miro loved routine and followed the same daily pattern. Even though his work was organic and fluid and free, he was a man who relied on structure and schedule. Can you find places in his art that show this side of him? Make notes (or doodles) here about Miro’s use of balance in his compositions, and how he used balance differently in different phases of his life as an artist.

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LOOKING CLOSER AT THE ART Art Analysis The Farm, 1921-1922

Miro had a special fondness for rural life, and The Farm is considered one of his most significant works. This is Miró’s farm – located in the Tarragon region of Spain. Each year, Miro would spend two months in the country and he was profoundly inspired by nature.

“I think of my studio as a vegetable garden, where things follow their natu- ral course. They grow, they ripen. You have to graft. You have to water.”

This painting is FULL of things to see– produce, animals, and structures are all here with their stylized forms and great attention to detail!

This painting took Miro nine months to complete, and he said that the process was not an easy one.

Miro said, "’Farm’ was the result of my entire village life. I wanted to fit into the canvas everything that was dear to me in these places: from a huge tree to a tiny snail.”

The Farm was purchased by a famous writer who was also Miro’s friend– Ernest Hemingway.

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LOOKING CLOSER AT THE ART Art Analysis Harlequin’s Carnival, 1924-1925

A Harlequin is a non-verbal character who can typically be identified by their diamond patterned costume. Did you spot the harlequin here?

What kind of mood does he seem to be in? Some people think he looks hungry because of the hole in his stomach. The harlequin may be autobiographical- during this time, Miro didn’t have much money and he would often go without food. He spoke about the way hunger affected his work and produced creative visions.

Or maybe that hole is showing his musical ability? It almost makes him look like a guitar.

Did you see the ladder here? Miro “How did I think up my drawings and my ideas for paintings? included images of ladders in many of Well I’d come home to my Paris studio in the Rue Blomet at his paintings. He said that it represent- ed freedom for him- it was a visual night, I’d go to bed, and sometimes I hadn’t any supper. I saw symbol escaping the physical world things and I jotted them down in a notebook. I saw shapes on for a the world of imagination. the ceiling.”

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LOOKING CLOSER AT THE ART Art Analysis The Sun, 1949

“My characters have under- gone the same process of simplification as the colors. Now that they have been simplified, they appear more human and alive than if they had been represented in all their details.”

This painting is called The Sun, and we can see a bright orange ball in the sky. We can also see star like forms and a representation of what seems to be a person and an animal. What kind of animal do you think this is? Look at what happens to the colors in the shape when they cross one of these whimsically formed lines? Suddenly, a new color appears on the other side of that line! This painting is a wonderful example of Miro’s ability to create an image that is simultaneously simple and complex. There's so much to wonder about here as we look carefully at the shapes and lines before us.

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LOOKING CLOSER AT THE ART Art Analysis Women at the Edge of the Lake Made Iridescent by the Passage of a Swan, 1941

This painting is part of Miro’s constellation series- 23 small paintings he created during a transitional time in his life. At the beginning of WWII as German forces were nearing, Miro and his family left Paris and returned to his childhood home in Spain.

The surface of this painting is covered with interesting shapes (that are made stronger by their repetition) and organic, fluid lines that connect the shapes together. (Like we do with charts of the constellations in the night sky.)

The title gives us a clue as to what we’re seeing here. Can you find the woman? Do you see the swan?

The background here is an interesting gradient of deep tones- from warm beige to bright red. Miro’s father was a watchmaker and a goldsmith, and this painting has a rich jeweled quality about it that may stem from the work Miro saw his father doing as a child.

“A new stage in my work began which had its source in music and nature. It was about the time that the war broke out. I felt a deep desire to escape. I closed myself within myself purposely. The night, music, and the stars began to play a major role in suggesting my paintings.”

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LOOKING CLOSER AT THE ART Art Analysis

Landscape (The Hare), 1927

In this landscape we can see a clear division of land and sky. A shooting star leaves a trail of colorful spiraling dots. We see a hare that is abstracted, but is still recognizable as a small animal.

This painting was created during the early days of Miro’s Surrealist art when he was exploring automatism and inviting the images in his imagination to break free as he brought them out of his mind and expressed them on the canvas in front of him.

“For me a form is never something abstract. It is always a sign of something. It is always a man, a bird, or something else.”

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LOOKING CLOSER AT THE ART Art Analysis

Figures and Dog in Front of the Sun,1949

This is a whimsical and playful piece of art. Did you notice the art that’s faded beneath this? It looks like Miro tried a few different ideas on this canvas.

The shapes and colors here are really interesting. What do you notice about them?

We see the bright orange/red sun that he paints so often. We see figures and the dog. (Is one of the figures upside down?) There are many ways to see and interpret this art.

Miro liked to create images that were open to interpretation. At this point in his art, he had this well established visual language that we can instantly identify as Miro when we see it.

“Mastering freedom means mastering simplicity.”

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LOOKING CLOSER AT THE ART Art Analysis

Aidez L'Espagne (Help Spain), 1937

Miro designed this one franc stamp to bring awareness to the Spanish Civil War. He was asked to design this stamp so that it could be sold to aid the Republican Government in Spain.

Miro’s simple, yet powerful image shows a Catalan peasant who raises their fist in a show of solidarity. The yellow and red color palette references the Spanish and Catalan flags.

The stamp was never issued, but Miró took the design and made a stencil print. One version included these words:

“In this present battle I see on the fascist side just the outdated forces, and on the other side, the people whose immense creative resources which will give Spain a power which will astonish the whole world.”

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LOOKING CLOSER AT THE ART Art Analysis

Blue I, II, III, 1961

These paintings are absolutely huge! The Abstract Expressionists were painting big in America, and this inspired Miro to paint even bigger. This shade of blue was Miro’s favorite color- he said it was the color of his dreams. His grandson said this color helped him to feel protected on his island of Mallorca.

These immersive works are very different from the work he was known for- but he spent his whole life preparing for them. He said, “It cost me an enormous effort, a very great inner tension, to attain the spareness I wanted… one weakness, one mistake, and everything would have been ruined… These canvases are the culmination of everything I had tried to do.”

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LOOKING CLOSER AT THE ART Art Analysis

Peinture (Femme au chapeau rouge), 1927

This painting was once owned by another one of Miro’s friends- an artist named Alexander Calder.

If you know a little French, you may have figured out that the title of this painting means: woman with a red hat.

Do you see a woman here? Do you see her red hat?

Click to hear more about this extraordinary work.

“I am working hard; going toward an art of concept, using reality as a point of departure, never as a stopping place. –Convinced that that is how art should be: concept.” –Miro

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LOOKING CLOSER AT THE ART Art Analysis Moonbird, 1966

This sculpture is sometimes called Lunar Bird. When Miro was an art student in Barcelona, he had a professor who asked the class to draw while they were blindfolded. This exercise sparked Miro’s interest in sculpture.

Moonbird was a creation that Miro came up with spontaneously. He did not sketch or plan the design- he simply took clay in his hands and molded this form.

We can see references to celestial themes and the abstract horns may symbolize a bull– an image that is common in Spanish art.

Moonbird exists in many different “The spectacle of the sky overwhelms me. I’m forms, from small bronze sculptures overwhelmed when I see, in an immense sky, the to larger versions that appear in crescent of the moon or the sun.” public spaces.

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NOW IT’S YOUR TURN... Week 2 Project of the Month A Miro inspired painting

Suggested materials: gouache, tem- pera, or acrylic

Simple substitutions: watercolors or markers

Take a closer look at Miro’s artwork and choose one piece that inspires you most. Is it his early work like The Farm where things are more realistic, or do you love the dreamy Consider this: surrealism of The Hare? Maybe you’d rather Things to consider as you make your art... go abstract, and try a work of art from Miro’s later years. Whatever you choose, think As you experiment with Miro’s style this week, try to about including the Surrealist technique of play with loose, gestural, free-flowing lines. Spend a automatism, and create your art intuitively. few minutes just letting your pencil glide across your page, making swirls, spirals, dots, curves, and other You can choose any art supplies you’d like lines that come to you. Now play with shapes. for this. Miro typically used paint, but you Look at the shapes of the heads here. Miro estab- might consider creating a mixed media lished his own “vocabulary” of shapes, and you could piece and adding ink, charcoal, or some do the same thing. Select your colors without consid- other materials that would help you to ering them too much. Just use your instincts and achieve your vision. intuition. You may use bright bold colors like Miro, or choose another palette Don’t think, just create! Enjoy the process and have fun!

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