La Femme aux bijoux 1968

Editor: This intriguing mixed-media print is "La Femme aux bijoux" by Joan Miró, created in 1968. It feels both playful and unsettling at the same time. What are your thoughts on this particular piece? Curator: Miró, even in a print like this one, challenges our understanding of art production. Looking at the mixed media approach – the combination of etching with, possibly, collage elements – what does that tell us about Miró’s relationship to the traditional hierarchy of artistic mediums? Was he perhaps interested in collapsing the division between printmaking and painting, thus making a statement about value, labor and access to art? Editor: That's fascinating. I hadn’t really considered that before. It does seem like he’s almost building the image up, layer by layer, defying the usual printmaking process. The crude nature of this rendering goes against established approaches to printmaking as well. Curator: Precisely. Think also about the materials. The paper itself, the inks... were these luxurious or readily available? How would that choice of materials affect its accessibility? This print certainly invites conversation around who gets to produce art, who consumes it, and the relationship of art and capital in the late 60s. Editor: So you're saying that even seemingly simple choices, like the type of ink or paper, are really quite significant social statements? Curator: Exactly. It forces us to consider the larger economic and cultural conditions of the period and challenge the common assumption about his intent. The work also allows viewers from all social spheres to consume art because of its low production value. Editor: That really makes you see it in a new light. I’ll never look at a print the same way again! Curator: Exactly! Hopefully we see past the artwork’s visual, emotional response, and think critically about how its materials relate to broader social contexts.