Personnages 1937

Joan Miró made this painting, called Personnages, sometime in the mid-20th century. It's done with oil on canvas, and right away I'm struck by the simple, almost childlike way the figures are rendered, like doodles come to life. The colors are earthy, muted. Against this ground Miró paints these blobby, spindly characters. Look at the figure on the left, like a beanstalk person with arms reaching out. The lines are thin, confident, but not fussy. There’s a kind of reckless energy, like he's just letting the paint flow. Then you notice these splatters of dark brown, like smudges on a wall. The texture is rough, uneven, adding to the sense of spontaneity. I’m reminded of Paul Klee who also created whimsical figures, and this feels like that same kind of playful experimentation. It makes you wonder about the power of simple forms and the endless possibilities of paint.