Joan Miro

1893 - 1983

Spanish (Barcelona, Spain - Palma de Mallorca, Spain)

Originally from Spain, Miró spent many years in Paris in which he admired the work of Matisse, Picasso, and Henri Rousseau. Miró’s work is drawn from the imagination rather than nature, his images seem childlike with playful creatures that are both recognizable in form, but lost in another world. As an artist Miró was among the first to develop automatic drawing as a way to undo previously established techniques in painting. This represented the beginning of Surrealism as an art movement. However, Miró chose not to become an official member of the Surrealists, as Duchamp had done, in order to be free to experiment with other artistic styles. For example, he later experimented with Expressionism and Color Field painting.