Joan Miró combined abstraction with surrealist fantasy. Evident in his work “Le Fermier et son épouse” (“The Farmer and his Wife”) created in 1936, his mature style makes use of the tension between poetic impulse and the unpleasant realities of modern life. He sought to portray nature as it would be depicted by a child, using simplifications, however with the knowledge, irony, and rational abilities of an adult. The poetic nature of Miró’s artworks fit well within the dream-like automatism of the surrealist art group. Although he is widely considered a leading artist of SurrealismSurrealism was a 20th-century philosophical, literary, and artistic movement seeking to channel the unconscious to access the imaginary. Proponents of Surrealism rejected the notion of understanding life in rational and conventional terms in favour of asserting the value of the unconscious mind, dreams, the strangely beautiful, and the uncanny. André Breton, the leader of a group of poets and artists More, he refused to be officially part of the group to be able to explore other styles more freely.
Where is the picture “Le Fermier et son épouse” today?
The Joan MiróSpanish Catalan artist Joan Miró (1893 – 1983) is famous for his works in painting, sculpture, and ceramics. His work is strongly influenced by his hometown Barcelona, the scenic seaside, and the distinct style of that area. From early on, he was exposed to the arts through his parents’ professions: His mother was a goldsmith, father worked as a watchmaker. More original of “Le Fermier et son épouse” (1936) is currently part of a private collection in New York.
What’s in it?
In “Le Fermier et son épouse” Miró depicts a Catalan farmer and his wife among farm animals in the landscape of Mont-Roig del Camp. Unlike previous works devoted to the farm, the artist abandons earthy hues and half-tones and in favour of bright primary colours, building strong contrasts between the yellow sky, the searing reds of the soil against the cool blues of the sea in the background, contrasting with deep blacks and imbuing the picture with a sense of heat.
The simplified object structures seem inflated at some points and reduced to lines at others. The farmer on the left encompasses both massively enlarged limbs, while other body parts are transparent and merely outlined with strokes of colour, letting the blinding yellow sky break through. The yellow of the sky is repeated in the woman’s magnified right leg, balancing the colour scheme of the composition. In the foreground, a rooster aggressively protects an egg, which is on the verge of hatching. Miró used the image of the rooster in many pictures as a symbol of strength and would later make it the sole subject of a painting.
What’s the context?
While Joan MiróSpanish Catalan artist Joan Miró (1893 – 1983) is famous for his works in painting, sculpture, and ceramics. His work is strongly influenced by his hometown Barcelona, the scenic seaside, and the distinct style of that area. From early on, he was exposed to the arts through his parents’ professions: His mother was a goldsmith, father worked as a watchmaker. More neither positioned himself as an explicitly political artist nor did he work exclusively formalistically with pure colours and forms, turning a blind eye to developments in society. He considered himself a man of freedom and liberalism. The movement for Catalan independence, the Civil War, the Franco dictatorship, as well as the Second World War strongly influenced his work. In the turbulent times of the lead-up to the outbreak of the Civil War in 1936, the artist was at Mont-Roig del Camp, where his family owned a farm. He revisited one of his early key works showing the farm painted in a surreal style, moving closer to abstraction. Before confrontations began between the putschists surrounding General Franco and the elected Popular Front government in October 1936, Miró fled to France. From there he supported the Republican fighters through his art. He produced a print titled “Aidez l’Espagne” – Help Spain – in 1937.
Chatter and Prattle
Joan MiróSpanish Catalan artist Joan Miró (1893 – 1983) is famous for his works in painting, sculpture, and ceramics. His work is strongly influenced by his hometown Barcelona, the scenic seaside, and the distinct style of that area. From early on, he was exposed to the arts through his parents’ professions: His mother was a goldsmith, father worked as a watchmaker. More – Facts:
- Miró’s love for the countryside dates to 1911 when his father purchased the farmhouse at Mont-Roig del Camp that was to play such an important role in his subsequent life and work.
- Miró’s parents originally wanted him to pursue a career in finance. He spent three years studying at a business school and then secured a job as an accounting clerk. However, Miró did not react well to the office tasks and the working environment, leading to what was referred to as a mental breakdown. Subsequently, Miró contracted typhoid fever and his parents took care of him in the family’s summer home in Mont-Roig del Camp. While recovering, Miró had the time to pursue his passion for painting and was later allowed by his parents to enrol in art school.
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Recommended Readings:
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Joan Miro et al. (2017): Joan Miro: I Work Like a Gardener (Interview with Joan Miro on his creative process)
Carolyn Lanchner (1993): Joan Miro (A Museum of Modern Art Book)
Agnes De La Beaumelle (2020): Joan Miró 1917–1934: I’m Going to Smash their Guitar
Margit Rowell et al. (2017): Miro and Calder’s Constellations
Marko Daniel et al. (2012): Joan Miro: The Ladder of Escape
