Lot Essay
Modern artists have rarely embarked on works of monumental scale without provocation (mostly for reasons of practicality and expense), yet some of the greatest Modern works of art have been attempts by artists to tackle huge projects, and in many cases works of high quality have come into existence as the by-products of such commissions, Henri Matisse's mural La Danse for the Barnes Foundation in Merion, Pennsylvania is a striking case in point.
By the early 1970s Miró had achieved a considerable reputation for translating his intimate and personal imagery into large-scale events without losing any of their urgency and poignancy:
I have looked for other media of expression besides
paintings: ceramics, sculpture, tapestries, mosaics
and prints.... Doing work for public places is one of
my passions. The first mural I did was commissioned by
an American University. I was fascinated by the idea
because it would put me in touch with those students who
would pass the mural everyday, and maybe one of them
who would have been influenced by my work, would become
president of the United States. I have always been
interested in working in media other than paint, but I
was afraid I wouldn't be able to acquire enough training
and ability to express myself properly. This was not the
case. I have managed to concentrate and express exactly
what I want to express in every medium. (L. Permanyer,
"Revelations by Joan Miró about his work," Gaceta
Illustrada, Madrid, 1978, p.32)
Nevertheless, it was with paint on canvas that he developed the images that would be translated into other mediums for public display, and thus it was that in 1972 The Wichita State University commissioned Miró to create a mosaic mural for the facade of the Edwin A. Ulrich Museum of Art. He started to make sketches in October of that year and by June, 1974 he began the present painting which was completed in March 1976. This work was translated by craftsmen in Chartres into a marble and glass mosaic to 28 by 52 feet which was installed on the exterior of the Museum.
Combining the language of action painting with his iconic "bird people" in quirky but festive gamboling, Miró delivers an outstanding lesson about how public art need not be impersonal.
By the early 1970s Miró had achieved a considerable reputation for translating his intimate and personal imagery into large-scale events without losing any of their urgency and poignancy:
I have looked for other media of expression besides
paintings: ceramics, sculpture, tapestries, mosaics
and prints.... Doing work for public places is one of
my passions. The first mural I did was commissioned by
an American University. I was fascinated by the idea
because it would put me in touch with those students who
would pass the mural everyday, and maybe one of them
who would have been influenced by my work, would become
president of the United States. I have always been
interested in working in media other than paint, but I
was afraid I wouldn't be able to acquire enough training
and ability to express myself properly. This was not the
case. I have managed to concentrate and express exactly
what I want to express in every medium. (L. Permanyer,
"Revelations by Joan Miró about his work," Gaceta
Illustrada, Madrid, 1978, p.32)
Nevertheless, it was with paint on canvas that he developed the images that would be translated into other mediums for public display, and thus it was that in 1972 The Wichita State University commissioned Miró to create a mosaic mural for the facade of the Edwin A. Ulrich Museum of Art. He started to make sketches in October of that year and by June, 1974 he began the present painting which was completed in March 1976. This work was translated by craftsmen in Chartres into a marble and glass mosaic to 28 by 52 feet which was installed on the exterior of the Museum.
Combining the language of action painting with his iconic "bird people" in quirky but festive gamboling, Miró delivers an outstanding lesson about how public art need not be impersonal.