‘Joan Miró’ surrealist painter drawing in the child point of view?

Joan Miró i Ferrà [Photo provided = Wikipedia]

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All works of art have the right to protect against imitation and abusement without the permission of others namely copyrights. On the other hand there is an expiration period for copyright until 70 years after the writers death. From then it is possible to share the works left by the writers. Which is so-called as “COPYLEFT”. In the series article we will take time to look over the expired copyright artists who left enormous masterpiece when they were alive and returned as a picture for the peoples.


Name : Joan Miró i Ferrà

Birth : April 20th 1893

Death : December 25th 1983

Nationality : Spain

Art Movement : Surrealism

Major work : ‘Person Throwing a Stone at a Bird’ ‘The Farm’ ‘The Reaper’ ‘Blue’

Sometimes art is close from us. It sounds difficult as just artwork but ‘Art collaboration’ worn in everyday supplies sounds familiar to us. The artist that will be introduced in today’s appeared in ramen package cover once since it had no resistance to enough to feel just like child have drawn the art. ‘Joan Miró’ Spanish surrealist painter representing Barcelona Spain is the artist of today.

The copyright is valid until 2053 which is 70 years later from his death in 1983 and this article has no commercial purpose.


Joan Miró who was born in Montoro near Barcelona in Catalunya grew up in the countryside with mountain and river. Coming by both mothers side and father’s side located in rural area he experienced a lot of nature and had a special ability to observe and express Sun stars animals and nature.

His first teacher Modesto Urgel taught him the basic of drawing it was focused on learning how to infuse emotions into the drawings. Major works in the early are ‘Person Throwing a Stone at a Bird’ and ‘Dog barking at the moon’ in 1926. His childlike drawing style is noticeable since that time already.


“The color spoke to me. However the figure still had to be deciphered. I barely separated curves and straight lines.”

Antoni Gaudi the representative architect in Barcelona living in the similar period with Joan Miró is well known for the building showing aesthetics of curves. Also it is hard to find straight lines in Joan Miró’s works it can be interpreted as one of the 20 century’s art movement to dispel traditional norms that had been built since Renaissance.

The art techniques that deliver distort and putting front of emotions were prevalent from traditional aesthetic such as beauty of balance and pulchritude. In Barcelona as you can see from Gaudi’s buildings nature and curves were emphasized and in Joan Miró’s drawings who grew up in that environment unconstrained curves attract attention.


In the early of his painting the characteristics of the expressionism drawings using vivid colors divided brush strokes and paratactic color combination are shown. That is because it was a period that unconstrained non-formal and inner expression were valued rather than elaborate description.

His artistic system that built in the view of child did not really change after he got old in a big picture. There could be a difficulty to interpret its meaning but it is not hard for both male and female to enjoy his work regardless of its interpretation.

After his 20’s and until 1919 he suddenly dropped his art school in Barcelona and left for Paris and started art making. As soon as he got in Paris he had recognized his name by selling his artwork to art merchants or holding his artwork exhibitions.


And not long after that he met the master of cubism ‘Pablo Ruiz Picasso’ who was already famous and from the same province. They met for the first time but Joan knew Pablo’s mom well so could get along well. Pablo gave some advice on living in Paris and artwork and help young painter Joan’s settlement in Paris.

For reference Joan was a nameless painter in his 20’s and met 12 years of age gap famous painter Pablo Picasso. Later on Picasso recalled the day they met keeping ‘Self Portrait’ by Joan that he earned from close art merchants. Both would feel the same since they were far away from home due to the dictatorship in Spain. Their friendship started like that and continued forever.


Meanwhile his artwork went further to a new way beyond Barcelona style and cubism of Picasso from 1922 his work shown more simplification and Surrealism style affected by Hemingway and Wassily Kandinsky. He used basic combination of red blue green and yellow colors and shown his style that we know today through simple structure.

He came back home and developed surrealism style deeply in that year. From his major works ‘The Farm’ in 1922 he left a lot of surrealism artworks about farmland of his hometown such as ‘Catalan Landscape (The Hunter​)’ in 1924 and ‘The Harlequins Carnival’ in 1925.


In 1936 he got under impetus from the Spanish civil war and drew a large mural this mural named ‘The Reaper’ had hung on Spanish Republic Hall in Paris Exposition and became an issue later. Also in 1942 he completed ‘Constellation: the morning star’ during the Second World War by bringing out figures that looked like hieroglyphics such as stars and birds shown his childlike ingenuousness. His surrealism style paintings went further from pictures to sculpture pottery and engraving paints.

His artworks get criticized for its childish art that could have considered child have drawn it as time goes by it became notable master pieces. A couple of years ago domestic ramen company ‘Jin Ramen’ collaborated by inserting his art in ramen packages celebrating its 30 years anniversary. It was evaluated that his childlike patterns got along well on ramen packages.


Sometimes it has been claimed that it should pursue popular appeal in the perspective of artistic value. Of course in the perspective of scarcity value it is important. However if the painting has a familiar image that anyone can like in the point of view as a child like his work would not it be appealed to more people? Popularity would reduce its scarcity but it does not mean the value of the painting is damaged.

‘Person Throwing a Stone at a Bird’ by Joan Miró [Photo provided = Wikipedia]

‘Park Güell’ built by Antoni Gaudí in Barcelona [Photo provided = Wikipedia]

‘Horse Pipe and Red Flower’ by Joan Miró [Photo provided = Wikipedia]

‘Self Portrait’ by Joan Miró [Photo provided = Wikipedia]

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