Personnage Gothique, Oiseau-Eclair (Gothic Personage, Bird-Flash) c. 1974 - 1977

Joan Miró’s bronze sculpture, Personnage Gothique, Oiseau-Eclair, presents the viewer with an experience of the artist’s process. It’s not so much about the finished form, but how the artist arrived at the final composition. The patinated bronze has an almost fleshy quality, especially in the areas where the surface is deeply furrowed, almost like the skin on a giant, ancient vegetable. This tactile quality invites touch, almost in the same way as Constantin Brâncuși’s sculptures. The three distinct sections – the weighty legs, the box-like mid-section with its porthole-like aperture, and the jaunty bird form perched on top - are unified by their materiality, but they are distinct in texture and form. The legs are bulbous and rounded, in contrast to the sharp angles of the box. It’s almost as if Miró wants to show us how a sculpture comes to be, bit by bit. Miró’s work constantly explores the line between representation and abstraction and offers not a solid answer, but an ongoing dialogue.