Joan Miró (pronounced “Hoh-anh Mee-roh)

1893 - 1983

Joan Miró• Born in Barcelona, Spain, over 100 years ago.

• Talented at different types of art: painting, sculpture, pottery, and collages.

• Known for his playful, imaginative, child-like expressions created with bright colors, lines, symbols and shapes.

• Studied in Paris, France after convincing his parents to let him become an artist. At the time, Paris was the center of creativity in Europe and many talented artists and writers lived there.

• Successful artist during his lifetime. Miró’s art is in museums all over the world.

La Masia (The Farm), 1922

Joan Miró• Painted in Spain of his family’s

country house (La Masia in Spanish), for which he had fond memories. It took over a year to complete.

• Very detailed and no object too small. Miró felt that everything in a painting was as important as anything else -- an ant as important as a mountain.

• Notice the various tools, plants, trees, animals (snail, lizard, horse, birds, goat, rooster) and the detail of the house (inside and outside).La Masia (The Farm) 1922

Joan Miró• His style changed to a surrealist

(dreamlike) style. Objects in his paintings acted as symbols, and stood for certain things.

• Often objects in Miró’s paintings appear to be floating in space. They may seem upside down, or unconnected. This helps give them a dreamlike quality.

• Ideas for his artwork came from simple objects. For example, a grain of dust, a bug on a wall or wheel. Also from his subconscious (the part of your brain of which you’re not fully aware). Sometimes he would stare at the ceiling at night and see shapes.

Dutch Interior,1928

Joan Miró

Dutch Interior,1928

This painting was inspired by a trip to Holland. At first glance,

it’s hard to identify any

specific objects. If you continue to look and use

your imagination, lots

of interesting, identifiable

things appear.

bird

dog

Joan Miró• Used symbols, shapes

and lines, some squiggly, to make pictures.

• Used shapes in different ways to show relationships.

• Miró’s images almost always had eyes; his signature symbol. They look out from the painting at the viewer. Miró’s teachers said it’s more important to walk around and use your eyes than to carry a sketchbook. Woman encircled by flight of bird, 1941

Joan Miró• Miró loved color!

• Often used bright primary colors: blue, yellow and red. Green, black and white too.

• To Miró, conveying a feeling was more important than making a picture look real. This is called an abstract style of art. Constellation, Awakening at Dawn, 1941

Realism Realism

Q: How are these paintings similar? They are both dogs.

A: How are they different? The dog on the left looks real. The dog on the right is considered

abstract. It does not look as realistic.

Q: How are these paintings similar? They are both dogs.

A: How are they different? The dog on the left looks real. The dog on the right is considered

abstract. It does not look as realistic.

Abstract Abstract

•Miró’s symbols are abstract but based in reality; a man, bird, sun, stars, fish, spirals, coils, mouths, footprints, etc.

Passage of the Divine Bird, 1941

Do you see any of Miró’s symbols in his paintings?

Joan Miró• Lots of energy in Miró’s

paintings. In one respect they feel chaotic, but each line is planned and relates to other parts of the painting.

• One of his teachers encouraged him to use poetry and music. “To apply colors like words that shape poems, like notes that shape music.” Swallow, Love 1934

Various works by Joan Miró

• In a picture, it should be possible to discover new things every time you see it. You can look at a picture for a week together and never think of it again. You can also look at a picture for a second and think of it all your life. -- Joan Miró

• Look at this painting from different perspectives on the next three slides. See if you notice anything new about the painting.

• Which way do you like the painting best? Figures, Dog in front of Sun, 1949

Figures, Dog in front of Sun, 1949

Figures, Dog in front of Sun, 1949

Figures, Dog in front of Sun, 1949

• What do you see or recognize in the painting?

• What shapes? What are they supposed to be?

• What types of lines? Straight or curvy?

• What colors? Why did Miró use them?

• If this was a picture Miró made from a dream, what was happening in the dream?

• Can you find the people, sun and dog?

• How does this painting make you feel? Happy or Sad? Crowded? Empty? People and Dog in Sun, 1949

Miró’s Chicago, 1981

originally named ‘The Sun, the moon, and one star’

• You can see some of Miró’s artwork in person in Chicago.

•Go see this piece of Miró Sculpture in Chicago’s Brunswick plaza.

Suggested projects• Have students draw three shapes on paper (e.g. circle, square, star, moon).

Ask them to show relationship between shapes by drawing straight and curved lines between and around the shapes.

• Put several objects in a few paper bags. Have student reach into bag without looking and draw what they feel (Miró’s teacher used this technique).

• Give student a paper with randomly shaped piece of string glued to it. Discuss Miró’s need to have a starting point for his piece of work. Have student rotate paper and use imagination to see what they want to create. Use colors, shapes, lines.

• Draw squiggly lines all around paper (eyes opened or closed) and have student find images within lines. Draw a face at intersecting lines and color.

• Create a sculpture with clay and objects in Cultural arts closet (buttons, beads, pasta, beans, pipe cleaners, etc.)

• Make copies of Miró’s coloring page in “suggested activities” and use bright paints, markers or crayons to color.

Music to play during activity

Music to play during activity

Music to play during activity