Still Life with Old Shoe 1937

Joan Miró painted Still Life with Old Shoe using oil paint on canvas. At first glance, the subject matter may seem typical: objects arranged on a surface, rendered with close observation. But, like all Surrealists, Miró was interested in the unconscious, the stuff of dreams. It's as if the paint itself is dreaming here, morphing ordinary things into uncanny forms. The thick application of paint, roughly applied, also speaks volumes. It's anything but illusionistic, instead emphasizing its own material presence. The old shoe is perhaps the most telling object. In its worn-out condition, it speaks to the realities of everyday life, the material conditions of survival, and the quiet dignity of well-used things. Ultimately, Miró elevates humble materials into something powerful. He asks us to recognize the significance of the everyday, and challenges the traditional hierarchy between so-called "high" and "low" subjects.