When we were homeschooling our children, I bought an art appreciation curriculum called “Look, Mommy, It’s a Renoir!” It came with small reproductions of many paintings done by a variety of artists spanning centuries and demonstrating many different styles. I’m using those now as my inspiration as I attempt to “imitate the masters.”
This week’s painting is called “Woman, Bird and Star” by Joan Miro, a Spanish artist who lived from 1893 to 1983. I’d heard of Miro before but didn’t realize until doing some research for this post that Joan Miro was a man. Didn’t see that coming.
Like Albrecht Durer, Miro’s father was a goldsmith, although Miro’s father was also a watchmaker. Miro developed an early interest in art. At his first solo art show in 1918 (at the tender age of 25), his work was ridiculed and defaced. Since some of his work now sells for millions of dollars, Miro clearly rose above this early humiliation. He struggled with depression, however, and used painting as a way of dealing with it.
“Woman, Bird and Star” was an oil painting that was completed on the day that Pablo Picasso died (April 8, 1973), so Miro dedicated this work to him. A prominent visual motif in Miro’s paintings is birds. He once said of his work, “In my paintings, there is a kind of circulatory system. If even one form is out of place, the circulation stops; the balance is broken.”
I’m pretty sure that the star portion of this painting is on the left, under the black ball. But as far as being able to see the woman and the bird, your guess is as good as mine. And maybe it doesn’t matter.
It was kind of fun working on this one. Since it is abstract and symbolic in nature, I didn’t concern myself with trying to make it a perfect copy. But I’m not sure that Miro would be happy with the circulatory system in it; the balance might be broken.
Next week: on to Vincent Van Gogh (whom Miro was inspired by).
I’m intrigued by the box with the name “Vincent” on it. What is that object in it? A toy?
Bidding you adios, amigos! This post may have to be deleted in the morning if I detect balance being broken.
Lynniebeemuseoday 