MIRÓ

JOAN MIRÓ 1893-1983     Harlequin`s Carnival   Miró was born in 1893 in Barcelona and studied at the School of Fine Arts and at Academia Gali. His parents wanted him to have a career in business so initially he became an accountant. However the stress of this type of environment proved too great, and he swapped to his favoured career in the arts. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Picasso was championing Cubism, and Matisse was a leading light in the Fauvism style. Miro followed these trends in search of his own favoured style, and in the twenties was in Paris mixing with the group of Surrealist painters led by Andre Breton. Miró nació en 1893 en Barcelona y estudió en la Escuela de Bellas Artes y en la Academia Gali. Sus padres querían que tuviera una carrera en el negocio por lo que inicialmente se convirtió en un contador. Sin embargo el estrés de este tipo de ambiente era demasiado grande, y cambió esta carrera en favor de las artes. A principios del siglo XX, Picasso era defender el cubismo, y Matisse fue un precursor en el estilo Fauvismo. Miró seguío estas tendencias en la búsqueda de su propio estilo, y en los años veinte en París mezcló con el grupo de pintores surrealistas encabezado por André Breton. Eventually he developed his own style, which reflected aspects of Catalan folk art with strong colours and simplistic childlike forms. In the 1930s this led to the development of a significant international reputation. Sonnens. Finalmente, desarrolló su propio estilo, que refleja los aspectos del arte popular catalán con colores fuertes y formas infantiles. En la década de 1930 esto condujo al desarrollo de una reputación internacional importante. Sonnens. He also began to work with sculptures, ceramics and murals throughout the 1940s back in Spain. During this period he also visited the USA and his growing fame helped to increase the market value of his work. He was now able to afford the large studio in which he could work on the many projects he was always planning. La Defénse Empezó a trabajar también con esculturas, cerámicas y murales en la década de 1940, de nuevo en España. Además, durante este período visitó los EE.UU. y su fama creciente contribuyó al aumento en el valor en el mercado de su trabajo. Ahora era capaz de pagar por el gran estudio en el que podía trabajar sobre los varios proyectos que siempre estaban en planificación. La Defénse In 1956 he bought a modern avant garde villa in Palma de Majorca from where he continued to generate large amounts of work. He loved print making and produced lots of etchings and lithographs. His work was published in large print editions aimed at the mass market. En 1956 compró una villa moderna de vanguardia en Palma de Mallorca desde donde continuó para generar grandes cantidades de trabajo. Le gustaba hacer de impresión y produjo muchos grabados y litografías. Su trabajo fue publicado en ediciones impresas grandes dirigido al mercado de masas. Unlike some other artists, Miro was a modest, quiet, hard-working and disciplined man. He usually dressed more like an office worker with suit, collar and tie, rather than a revolutionary artist. In 1992 his home in Palma was converted to a Miro Museum and opened to the public. .A diferencia de algunos otros artistas, Miró fue trabajador modesto, tranquilo y hombre disciplinado. Por lo general se vestío más como un empleado de oficina con traje, cuello y corbata, en lugar de un artista revolucionario. En 1992, su casa en Palma de Mallorca se convirtió en un museo Miró y fue abierto al público. See the Yorkshire Sculpture Park exhibition 2012 of sculpture of Miro     SLIDESHOW OF SOME MORE OF MIRO`S WORK

Brief chronology

1893 Born to Miguel Miro I Adzerias and Dolores Ferra I Oromi
1900 Starts primary school and drawing classes with Mr Civil Summers with paternal grandparents in Cornudella and Mallorca.
1907 Attends Barcelona School of Commerce. Goes to classes at La Llotja School of Fine Art.
1910 Trainee accountant in Barcelona.
1911 Dislikes job and catches typhoid fever – convalesces at the farmhouse in Montroig.
1912 Joins classes at the Francesc Gali Art School in Barcelona until 1915.
1913 Studies drawing at sant Lluc Art Circle until 1918.
1914 Shares a studion with Ricart in Barcelona.
1915 Military service for three months a year until 1917.
1916 Meets Josep Dalmau, the arts dealer. Starts painting landscapes and still life with a strong influence from Cezanne, Van Gogh, Matisse and the Fauve movement.
1918 First solo exhibition at the Dalmau Galeries in Barcelona.
1920 Takes first trip to Paris where he meets Picasso.
1921 Organises a studio in Paris and starts to paint ‘The Farm’
1922-24 Completes ‘The Farm’ during summers at Montroig. Continues to develop his art in Paris.
1925 Shows ‘Catalan landscape’ (The Hunter) is Surrealist exhibition.
1926 Develops costumes and stage set with Max Ernst for Diaghilev.
1927 Expresses a desire to assassinate painting.
1928 Creates his first ‘collage-painting’ which he called ‘Spanish dancer’, from found objects and extending into three dimensions.
1929 Marries Pilar Juncosa in Palma de Mallorca.
1930 Their only child, Maria Dolores is born.
1931-6 Divides time between Paris, Barcelona and Montroig. Exhibits internationally and first solo show at Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York.
1936-8 Spanish Civil War breaks out, so stays in Paris where his family join him.
1939 World War II breaks out and Franco dictatorship begins.
1940 The war forces the family to return to Spain and settles with Pilar’s family in Palma.
1940-4 Shares his time between Barcelona, Palma and Montroig. International exhibitions including first major retrospective at Museum of Modern Art, New York.
1944 Collaboration for first time with Josep Llorens Artigas on ceramics.
1945 Makes terracotta model for first bronze sculpture: Oiseau solaire.
1946-55 International exhibitions and commissions including mural for Harvard University,USA
1955 Concentrates on ceramics with Artigas, culminating in the UNESCO mural of 1958
1956 Sert studio, Palma, completed.
1957 Based in Palma with trips to Barcelona, Artigas’ studio in Gallifa, Montroig and Paris. Visits sources of inspiration for UNESCO mural including Altamira caves, Catalan Romanesque paintings and architecture by Gaudi in Barcelona.
1959 Buys Son Boter, and 18th century farmhouse, as large studio for sculpture, painting and a printshop.
1960 Works with Artigas and his son Joan Gardy Artigas on ceramics.
1961-2 Completes several major painting series including Blue triptych.
1963 Collaborates with Sert and Artigas on ceramic sculptures for Fondation Maeght, Saint-Paul-de-Vence.
1966 Works on monumental bronzes beginning with L`Oiseau solaire and L`Oiseau lunaire.
First painted bronze sculptures.
1969 Interest in sculpture and print making intensifies.
1971-4 International exhibitions including Miró Sculptures at Hayward Gallery, London.
1975 Unofficial opening of the Joan Miro Foundation in Barcelona designed by Sert.
1976 Creates characters for the play Mori el Merma.
1981 Establishment of the Fundacio Pilar i Joan Miró a Mallorca.
Inauguration of monumental sculptures Moon, sun and one star, Chicago, and Personage and birds, Houston, Texas
1983 Dies at his home in Palma on 25 December.