Untitled [plate LXIV] 1958

This untitled print by Joan Miró consists of these simple shapes in orange, green, red, and blue, floating on the page as if suspended in air. It’s not that different to doodling, really, and I can imagine Miró in his studio, trying out all sorts of ways of playing with form. There’s this juicy red loop, looking like a deconstructed racetrack, with a star-like explosion of orange and blue – a collision of cosmic forces perhaps? And look at the green circle, so casually placed, like a tiny planet orbiting the larger forms. He’s composing a world! I love how Miró embraces the accidental, the imperfect. He’s in conversation with the Surrealists, and his own peers like Picasso, and Matisse of course, all pushing at the boundaries of what painting can be. We are all just adding to this ongoing conversation, responding to the past, and throwing ideas around. It’s not about answers but more about the exchange.