Portrait of Mrs Mills in 1750 (after Constable) 1929

Joan Miró made this painting, Portrait of Mrs Mills in 1750 (after Constable), with oil on canvas. Just look at the confident strokes and the earthy yellows and reds that set off the central figure. I imagine Miró starting with Constable’s original, then letting his own visual language take over. He would have approached the canvas with a sense of play, almost like a child, transforming the solid reality of a portrait into something more dreamlike. See how he uses simple shapes and lines to suggest the sitter’s form, her extravagant hat, her dress, and the landscape around her. Painting is like a form of embodied expression. Every gesture contains feeling, intention, and, ultimately, meaning. Miró’s visual vocabulary relates to other painters through time, riffing off the same ideas but transforming them into something new. It’s an ongoing conversation! Uncertainty becomes a powerful tool, allowing for multiple readings and possibilities.