La jeteuse de sorts 1981

Joan Miró made this print, La jeteuse de sorts, using lithography, a process that renders an image using a flat stone or metal plate. The design is drawn on the surface with a greasy substance, and then printed. Miró had a strong interest in the physical stuff of art, embracing accidental textures and unexpected juxtapositions. In this work, the velvety blacks and vibrant primary colors are applied with an open, gestural hand. Miró embraced the inherent qualities of the lithographic process, celebrating the slightly mottled texture and the expressive potential of ink. Look closely, and you can practically feel the artist’s hand moving across the stone. Consider that Miró was working in an era increasingly defined by mass production. Lithography was a commercial process but Miró used it to create something unique and handmade. He reminds us of the enduring power of individual creativity in an age of standardization, challenging our assumptions about the divide between art and craft.