Art Awareness

Joan Miro(hoh-ahn’ mee-roh’)

Born in Spain. (1893 – 1983) Miro literally means “he looked”. He wanted to be an artist from a

very young age. His father did not agree and

made him a clerk at a wholesale company.

At 17, he became very ill and was sent to live in the country

Surrounded by beautiful landscape, Miro regained his joy, his health and his great desire to paint. His father agreed to let him become an artist.

He finished art school in 1919. Afterwards, he met famous artists like Pablo Picasso. Caricature of Joan Miro

by Ian Davy Brown

Young Joan Miro

Joan Miro(hoh-ahn’ mee-roh’)

Miro kept his studio in the same house he was born in for 63 years.

His works started out being surrealistic, but became more abstract over time.

Before beginning work, he had to receive a shock – a simple thing that could provoke a response.

He used music, literature and nature as his inspirations.

Earth and sky were very important in his works.

He lived a rather normal and long life. He died at the old age of 90 in 1983.

SURREALISM & ABSTRACT

Miro was known for his “surreal” and “abstract” pictures.

Surreal means dreamlike distortion of reality. Distort – twist something out of

shape.

Surrealism: Artwork that is very dreamlike in appearance. These paintings are often filled

with recognizable objects done in strange and mysterious fashion.

Abstract : This kind of artwork has objects that are mostly unrecognizable. Abstract paintings rely on color

and shapes.The Garden

Miro’s Art Technique

Miro liked to use bright colors : mostly black, red, yellow, green and blue against a neutral earth background

He used symbols in his paintings : A man = pipe, or moustache. A woman = triangle. A tree = round blob. Farm woman = large foot.

One of his teachers blindfolded him and taught him to draw form by using the sense of touch. He would sometimes do it by feeling the contours of the head of a classmate.

Miro says, “I try to apply colors like words that shape poems, like notes that shape music”.

People and Dog in Sun - 1949

What colors do you see? Are they mainly primary colors (red, yellow, blue) or secondary colors (purple, orange, green).

Where is the contrast? (the background has light colors, not bold like the foreground).

Describe what you see. Turn the painting upside down and sideways.

Which way do you like it best ? Do you see people? Do they look

like kids or adults? Where is the dog? Where is the sun? One dot is half red and half black,

who can find it? Did Miro have a good imagination? What would you title this painting?

Dog Barking at the Moon - 1926

Daybreak- 1968

The Circus Horse - 1927

Head of a Man - 1937

COLLAGE - “Portrait of a Man in a Late Nineteenth-Century Frame” - 1950

Miro’s Chicago

Miro’s sculpture in Chicago across Daley Center.Sculpture – 1981Concrete; bronze, ceramic tile.

Let’s get Inspired… Let’s begin to do our art project inspired

by Miro’s artwork. We do this by taking a line for a walk…. Draw a wide scribble or doodle on the

paper provided with a black marker. Use your imagination to find people or

animals in the shapes and lines. Find a point where two lines come together and draw a face.

Turn paper upside down and add another doodle or scribble.

Add another face to create a second person or animal in the drawing.

Add color with crayons or markers – only red, blue, green and yellow.

Does your work look like Miro’s? If time permits, we’ll talk about what we found and share it with the class.

Give a title to your artwork

THANK YOU Have a great day ahead and keep drawing.