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Lot Essay
mulated from his recent sojourn to New York and Paris in 1948, upon his return to Barcelona Miró embarked on a period of great productivity. His work from 1949 to 1950 included many paintings and drawings as well as sculptures, etchings and lithographs. Jacques Dupin discusses this unique period of artistic output:
[the paintings of 1949-1950] form two distinct series that the painter worked on simultaneously: first, very elaborate paintings, and second, completely spontaneous paintings. The former, works of incredible precision, go back after all these years to the miniaturism of The Farm and to the dizzying purity of the Constellations. The others, by contrast, seem like free improvisations made on the spur of the moment; their rapidity of execution and autonomy of gesture is as inherent in them as patient elaboration in the more searching or studied paintings. The former are first and foremost 'creations,' the latter 'communications.' They correspond in the painter's temperament to moments of reflection and moments of impulse, which follow one another in a natural succession like inhaling and exhaling. We have had many occasions to describe and contrast the two types of hand-writing involved. Heretofore they have most often appeared in one and the same canvas; never before were they so clearly separated as in these works of 1949 and 1950 (in Joan Miró: Life and Work, New York, 1962, p. 393).
Painting, from the "elaborate" or "reflective" series, is painted on a densely-woven canvas that the artist has stained in earth tones. By rubbing or sanding the canvas, Miró was able to highlight the texture and weave, allowing the color to radiate. On this vaporous ground, animated figures, shapes and stars interact in rhythmic harmony. The linear imagery is punctuated by areas of pure, bright color, creating a vibrant and whimsical environment. With total conviction, Miró created a dynamic and magical visual playground in Painting.
[the paintings of 1949-1950] form two distinct series that the painter worked on simultaneously: first, very elaborate paintings, and second, completely spontaneous paintings. The former, works of incredible precision, go back after all these years to the miniaturism of The Farm and to the dizzying purity of the Constellations. The others, by contrast, seem like free improvisations made on the spur of the moment; their rapidity of execution and autonomy of gesture is as inherent in them as patient elaboration in the more searching or studied paintings. The former are first and foremost 'creations,' the latter 'communications.' They correspond in the painter's temperament to moments of reflection and moments of impulse, which follow one another in a natural succession like inhaling and exhaling. We have had many occasions to describe and contrast the two types of hand-writing involved. Heretofore they have most often appeared in one and the same canvas; never before were they so clearly separated as in these works of 1949 and 1950 (in Joan Miró: Life and Work, New York, 1962, p. 393).
Painting, from the "elaborate" or "reflective" series, is painted on a densely-woven canvas that the artist has stained in earth tones. By rubbing or sanding the canvas, Miró was able to highlight the texture and weave, allowing the color to radiate. On this vaporous ground, animated figures, shapes and stars interact in rhythmic harmony. The linear imagery is punctuated by areas of pure, bright color, creating a vibrant and whimsical environment. With total conviction, Miró created a dynamic and magical visual playground in Painting.