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Birth
Joan Miró was born in Barcelona to his parents, a goldsmith and a watchmaker. -
Portrait of Vincent Nubiola
At the age of twenty-four, one year before his first exhibition, Miró finished the Portrait of Vincent Nubiola. He painted it during a time in his life when he was experimenting with Cubism and Fauvism. The red shirt of Nubiola in this painting is meant to represent his political radicalism. This painting is said to have been partially inspired by Vincent Van Gogh. -
The Farm
Miró began painting his most famous work, The Farm, which is a representation of his family's farmhouse. He painted it in honor of his homeland of Catalan, a region in Spain. Many of the symbols that frequented his later works first appear here, such as the ladder that later symbolizes evasion. -
Joins Surrealist Group
Beginning in 1924, Joan Miró's surrealist faze was both similar to and different than his previous style of painting. The contradictions and dream-like quality of his work fit well within the group, although his pieces lost their chaotic lack of focus. Moreover, he began to experiment with collage but felt less happy about his work. This period ended around 1928 when he moved on to experimenting with more representational forms. -
Marriage
On the twelfth of October, 1929, Joan Miró married Pilar Juncosa in Palma, Majorca. Two years later, he would have a daughter with Pilar, whom they called Dolors. -
The Reaper
Joan Miró painted this mural in 1937 in Paris. It was meant to be a sort of protest against the violence in his home counrty, which was undergoing the Spanish Civil War. A common motif in Miró's work, the peasant stands as a symbol of Catalan nationalism. Unfortunately, this mural was lost in 1938 due to unkown causes. -
Still Life With Old Shoes
In 1937, Miro paints one of his most beloved works, Still Life With Old Shoes. Painted during the Spanish Civil War, this piece displays gruesome colors meant to reflect his fear and distress. In the background, one can see dark clouds that are meant to foreshadow the upcoming tragedy of the war. This piece is more realistic in order to reflect the inescapability of war, and he chose regular items to reflect the ordinary man. -
Flees Home
With the looming invasion of Nazi forces into France from Germany, Miró is forced to flee his home and relocate to Normandy and then Spain a year later. At this time, Spain is still under the control of Francisco Franco. This move could be felt in some of his later, more political paintings. -
Ciphers and Constellations, in Love with a Woman
Miró began working on his second most famouse piece, Ciphers and Constellations, in Love with a Woman. Now in The Art Institute of Chicago, it is a beautiful work of watercolor, graphite, and gouache. -
The Red Sun
Joan Miró began painting his third most popular piece, The Red Sun, in 1950. Influenced both by his time in Oaris and his beloved homeland of Catalan, he painted it in the style of abstract expressionism. -
Triptych Bleu I, II, III
Miró finished this sreies of paintings on March, 4th, 1961. It was very similar to his style in the earlier years of his artistry. The blue in the picture is supposed to represent the perfect state of unconsciousness, of cosmic dreams. It is an abstract painting. -
Death
Joan Miró died on Christmas day in the year 1983 in Palma, Mallorca. He had been bedridden for a while before his death due to heart disease and respiratory complications, and his body now lies in a grave near his hometown in Barcelona. To this day, his works remain exhibited in many museums and galleries all over the world and can be sold for as much as $17 million.
