Ladders Cross the Blue Sky in a Wheel of Fire 1953

Joan Miró made 'Ladders Cross the Blue Sky in a Wheel of Fire' with oil on canvas, and there's a childlike freedom in how the shapes play together. You can see he's not trying to trick you into thinking this is "real," right? It’s more like a feeling of reality. Check out the blue – not a flat, dead blue, but a scrubby, alive blue. It sets the mood, a bit dreamy, a bit melancholic. And then these shapes come dancing on top. The texture isn't hidden; you can practically feel Miró's hand moving the brush. That hand – it leads my eye to the 'Wheel of Fire,' which isn't really a wheel or fire, but it suggests it with its hot colors and roundness. It’s like a code, and we’re invited to crack it, but maybe the fun is in just letting it be. It reminds me of Paul Klee, they both knew how to make a painting sing with just a few notes. There's no right answer, just the joy of looking.