Joan Miro

Joan Miró was a Catalan artist who combined abstract art with surrealist fantasy. His mature style evolved from the tension between his fanciful, poetic impulse and his vision of the harshness of modern life. He worked extensively in lithography and produced numerous murals, tapestries, and sculptures for public spaces. He was also interested in the unconscious or the subconscious mind, reflected in his re-creation of the childlike. His difficult-to-classify works also had a manifestation of Catalan pride. In numerous interviews dating from the 1930s onwards, Miró expressed contempt for conventional painting methods as a way of supporting bourgeois society, and declared an "assassination of painting" in favour of upsetting the visual elements of established painting. Joan Miró was born on April 20, 1893, in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. He grew up in the Barri Gòtic neighborhood of Barcelona, where his father was a goldsmith and watchmaker. He began drawing classes at the age of seven at a private school and later enrolled at the fine art academy at La Llotja in 1907. He had his first solo show in 1918 at the Galeries Dalmau, where his work was ridiculed and defaced. Inspired by Fauve and Cubist exhibitions in Barcelona and abroad, Miró was drawn towards the arts community that was gathering in Montparnasse and in 1920 moved to Paris, but continued to spend his summers in Catalonia. In Paris, Miró met Pablo Picasso and other avant-garde artists who influenced his style. He also joined the Surrealist group led by André Breton and experimented with different techniques and media. He created collages, sculptures, ceramics, and prints that expressed his imagination and dreams. He also developed his own symbols and signs that he used to create a personal language of art. Some of his most famous works from this period include The Farm (1921-1922), The Tilled Field (1923-1924), Dog Barking at the Moon (1926), and The Harlequin's Carnival (1924-1925). During the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) and World War II (1939-1945), Miró lived in France and Spain. He witnessed the horrors of war and oppression and expressed his feelings in his works. He also supported the Republican cause and the Catalan culture against the Francoist regime. He created posters, murals, and paintings that denounced fascism and violence. Some of his most notable works from this period include The Reaper (1937), Still Life with Old Shoe (1937), Constellations (1940-1941), and The Hope of a Condemned Man (1974). After the war, Miró returned to Spain and settled in Palma de Mallorca, where his friend Josep Lluís Sert designed the studio of his dreams. He continued to work prolifically until his death, exploring new forms and materials. He also collaborated with other artists and institutions to create public art projects that enriched the urban landscape. He founded the Fundació Joan Miró in Barcelona in 1975 and the Fundació Pilar i Joan Miró in Palma in 1981 to promote his work and support contemporary art. Joan Miró died on December 25, 1983, in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, from heart failure. He was buried at the Montjuïc Cemetery in Barcelona. He left behind a legacy of innovation and creativity that influenced generations of artists and inspired millions of people around the world.