I finally got round to seeing this exhibition today - a stunning and comprehensive show which sheds new light on this giant of Surrealism. It was fascinating to see the development of his art from early figurative Catalan rustic scenes to the abstract masterpieces we are so familiar with. However, nothing can prepare you for the brilliance of his canvases and the saturated colours and ambiguous shapes that assault you as you enter the dozen or so rooms in the exhibition.
Gazing at his canvases, you become aware of repeated symbols and recurring thematic preoccupations and yet these never become monotonous or predictable. Paradoxically, they serve to empasise Miró's versatility as an artist because the symbols appear within radically diverse contexts. The most fascinating works for me are the burnt canvases, where Miró has entered a partnership with a destructive and fearsome elemental force. The result of this 'collaboration' is an unlikely blend of the planned and the contingent. Charred and jagged voids appear in the centre of the canvases, which are suspended in the middle of the room so you can walk around them and see them from all sides. They have effectively become sculptures. His most beautiful paintings are undoubtedly the 'constellation' series - dazzling and intense - many of which are represented here.
My view of Miró has shifted radically after seeing this exhibition. I thought of him as apolitical but this show emphasises his sense of Catalan identity and committed stance against Franco. His unsettling but beautiful paintings bear witness to an age of violence and anxiety we can only guess at. A very fine show.
Gazing at his canvases, you become aware of repeated symbols and recurring thematic preoccupations and yet these never become monotonous or predictable. Paradoxically, they serve to empasise Miró's versatility as an artist because the symbols appear within radically diverse contexts. The most fascinating works for me are the burnt canvases, where Miró has entered a partnership with a destructive and fearsome elemental force. The result of this 'collaboration' is an unlikely blend of the planned and the contingent. Charred and jagged voids appear in the centre of the canvases, which are suspended in the middle of the room so you can walk around them and see them from all sides. They have effectively become sculptures. His most beautiful paintings are undoubtedly the 'constellation' series - dazzling and intense - many of which are represented here.
My view of Miró has shifted radically after seeing this exhibition. I thought of him as apolitical but this show emphasises his sense of Catalan identity and committed stance against Franco. His unsettling but beautiful paintings bear witness to an age of violence and anxiety we can only guess at. A very fine show.
No comments:
Post a Comment