The Birth of Day 1968

Joan Miró made this painting, called ‘The Birth of Day’, at some point during his long career with paint on canvas. Look at the way Miró applied the bright colours in large blocks, letting them speak directly, and then how he contrasted this with thin, wiry black lines floating on the surface. I can imagine him thinking about the push and pull between grounded forms and the boundless freedom of the imagination. It's like he's saying, "Here's the world, solid and present, but look at all the possibilities that dance around it!" The red area has the feeling of being poured and pooling on the surface, it reminds me of Helen Frankenthaler’s soak-stain method, but then it’s so different because those black outlines are comic and poppy. Miró's kind of like a playful philosopher, don't you think? He keeps the conversation going across time, urging us to think, feel, and see anew.