La cascade aux oiseaux 1971

Joan Miró conjured "La cascade aux oiseaux" with lithographic ink on paper, and I can just imagine him moving around the studio while making this print. There's a big, black, blurry shape that dominates the scene, like a cloud, and all around it these little creatures gather. They seem to be chirping, flying, and singing! It reminds me of a big inkblot, almost a Rorschach test, and all these colourful shapes are sprouting up out of it. There is a real conversation happening between the black and the colourful elements. Miró liked to play with accidents and chance; he might let the ink splatter a bit or let his hand wander to create new forms. These are the kinds of decisions that make a work feel alive. I think of other artists who do similar things, like Klee or Gorky. It's like they're all sharing secrets and working together across time.