Making Rubbish Art: Joan Miró

I recently read a blog entitled, “Please make rubbish!” and I felt inspired! I believe we are our own worst critic. We always size up our talents against the Picasso’s or Dalí’s of this world. We hold them in high regard as if they could do no wrong, but they themselves tried new concepts. These Masters stepped outside their insecurity and turned a deaf ear from the criticism of what was depicted as normal and defined themselves through their creation.

Which brings me to my point: We often praise a child’s talents when they achieve feats far beyond their peers’ capability. If an adult is inspired to create with the imagination of a child, would we consider them talented?

Did you ever wonder why, with all his talent, Joan Miró decided to paint like a child?

Joan Miró loved creating. He was always changing, evolving or digressing, depending on how he was viewed. He was not defined by the “movement” of the moment, but pursued many interest in the art world. Miró was a painter, sculptor, ceramicist and printmaker, just to name a few. I believe there wasn’t anything this man couldn’t do. He grew from one genre to the next, using different mediums, working with different groups and trying different avenues in creating.

Miró was probably best known for his more surrealistic influence, but did you know that Miró chose not to become an official member of the Surrealists in order to freely experiment with other artistic styles without compromising his position within the group?

During the years he associated himself with the Surrealists, they preached the need to lavish the images of the subconscious directly on the canvas. Founder André Breton believed that “the absence of any known restrictions allows him the perspective of several lives lived at once;” and “Children set off each day without a worry in the world. Everything is near at hand the worlds material condition are fine.” By using bolder figures and colors, Joan Miró, was able to attract a wider audience to the causes he believed in by introducing the public to his own private world of poetic symbolism. Thus creating a relationship between the uncensored world of a child ideals and the harsh reality of an adult’s worry. Stanley Meisler of the Smithsonian said, “It is hard to enter a room full of Mirós without breaking into a smile and feeling a dollop of joy. And yet, if Miró were only playful, he would not be serious. If he painted only childlike dreams and hallucinations, he would be frivolous.” Miró’s later works often reminded you of the Rorschach test, he may have painted one image but the viewing audience may interpret another.

Joan Miró was a visionary. He chose to stretch beyond the normalcy of his time and took a chance on being an innovator. He was not limited to the social restrictions of commonality. The desire to create burned within him more than the fear of his art being consider child’s play; by this making his “rubbish” his work of art.

Joan Miró’s work will be available to collect at our Baterbys Summer Auction. August 27, Saturday @4pm. RSVP TODAY!