Spanish | Surrealism, Dada, Experimental

b. 1893

Joan Miró i Ferrà was a Spanish painter, sculptor, and ceramicist born in Barcelona. Miró created a unique style inspired by the artwork of children, Catalan folk art and the subconscious mind.

His early art was inspired by works of Vincent van Gogh and Paul Cezanne. Influenced by Surrealism, Miró collaborated with Max Ernst and in late 1920s he exhibited with a group of renowned surrealist painters, like Salvador Dali and Rene Magritte in Paris. However, Miró kept his own personal style and distinct form in most of the works, experimenting with such forms and mediums as engraving, watercolors, lithographs, and pastels. Much of his work was influenced by the beautiful scenes of his hometown. As stated by the artist, he tried “to apply colors like words that shape poems, like notes that shape music. ”

Later in his career, the artist took an interest in symbolism, focusing more on the symbol and the message rather than on the actual image.

Miró died from heart failure in 1983 in Palma, Spain. Miró's artistic expression continues to be a generating spark for emerging artists and art movements.